#I GOT SUCH WHIPLASH WHEN I PUT ON HIS VIDEO AND REALIZED WHAT SONG THAT WAS MEANT TO BE

[bigmoon-is-bigwife]

JOEL DID A MR. BRIGHTSIDE PARODY????? WHAT???? HE JUST STARTS HIS VIDEO WITH THAT????

[castle-dominion]

Starting with Hedge Fund Homeboys to ease myself into the earlier episodes (rather than getting whiplash from going straight from the s3 finale to the extended pilot).

c1x4 tho technically I think it is 1x3...?

I have 45 minutes & I need to watch a 45 minute episode. I recognize that from the intro, I love that abt these. Coffee <3 Whose dad is in what? Rehab? Grams had a party? Oh it was cinqo de mayo nvm. Love the music

Senieh? Lanie <3 I prefer esposito's hair here compared to s3. I was literally thinking about viking burials, mostly bc of unus annus.

Hold on I saw those chairs & I thought they were viking celtic shields lol. Ah yes, I remember the good old castle sherlock moments. I also really prefer beckett's hair & character design. Nice scarf, nice jacket. Who had the money to send rick to all those different schools & how did he get kicked out?

Amanda, Romy, Brandon, Spencer, & Max. Really 2009 isn't it. lmao what a bad video. They're lying True, he can't get in trouble he kind of got into drugs?

Goat song...? Casually twists his ear lol.

Love how she just lies abt going to york.

Ah, I hadn't heard mention of it much at all in s2 when I first got into the fandom, I heard from the fandom that ryan used to be a narcocop but I hadn't heard it from the show. I see now. It was season one. KR: During my narc days, this area was pretty much an open bazaar, especially at night.

Castle sherlock moments Drug dealers can have hobbies ms panizzon.

Hey, Detective, get over here! You see someone you recognize, Mrs. Falcigno? No, I miss your sparkling personality. Yeah!

RM: It's not about putting him on his heels. This is about building a case for the DA. RM: Watch this. Watch her now. KB: Maybe you can drop me a line in about twenty-five years. Scoville: Coupla dudes. Coupla chicks. One was Asian. Kinda hot. XD ok bestie

y'all should get your story straight (but not too straight) Having seen it twice I'm starting to think they DID have a straight story. & I can so so easily see the stuff going on.

They could let Romy into that room first to see that they can indeed not see her. If Ryan can hear beckett why can't the numbered fellows?

Just straight up asks her "do you do drugs" & I love these two & their relationship. Tailor, Kelsie, Paige. We know their names & I remember they show up later. This is me & my mom. Well i'm actually a bad kid sometimes & alexis is an angel but other than that. I love & trust my mom so much.

Gentlemen gentlemen!

I like all the purple & at least Ryan looks somewhat normal (so I'll be able to ease into the pilot without whiplash) Ryan just walking around with a rick castle book under his arm lol; kate really did get him into those books

Yankman & his emo lookin hair. Yeah rich kid rebels. ngl I kinda like yankman Lol the knicks game with montgomery, castle, & the mayor. ha, castle but acab

Becks wow kinda rude in front of the parents. "we did it all the time" is crazy & not a good cover. Wow gun laws in the usa huh... Murder not manslaughter? Why did they call ryan to talk to beckett That ought to be fun to explain /s

I love the "you should be writing" screensaver Girl fare dodging isn't even a crime. Public transport should be free. Ok good for you, you swiped your card the next day w/o riding it & that is justice. You lied to him but then you told him & that is also justice. Lmao ice cream for breakfast "after the DC trip" RC: that's my girl!

Yeah...

I love Lanie & her hair WOAH THAT IS HELLA DRUNK But who would move the body & then frame someone looking guilty? Unless! they moved the body first & then when they realized they'd get caught THEN they killed/framed max!

lol zen koan one handed clapping

KB: If by screwing around, you mean intentionally putting a bullet in a chamber, knowing that Max was gonna shoot Donny, then yes. You and I are in total agreement. Not a good line imp

Kid's lying Mad respect to these kids for their crime genius stories straight.

This video is not proof of where you were last night like it sounded like you said. Gosh they just.. filmed it.. Except that one time pendrick accidentally broadcasted a murder

Already finishing each other's sentences

Amanda has a great aesthetic. r/whyweretheyfilming Beautiful green shirt on beckett. I bet he did. Oh her face as she realizes.

Brandon is insane. Ew u'r a high schooler. idc if you have a nice jacket, you're a dickwad.

Not yet. But one day I'm gonna write it. RC: Funny thing is, if he did, Brandon would've known. It would've popped up on his shared folder as soon as their phones... *gestures really funny* Is there a record of syncing???

...Fun? Suck a lemon little man? I confess... that I'm dying to cop a feel under your cop blouse. I hate him sm

It took me a while to finish this bc I had to go away for the weekend but finally I'm finishing this.

Castle is using his dramatic writer skills to get into this kid's head

Rick going with Alexis <3

Martha... Martha...

I LITERALLY HAD THAT MUCH OF THE EPISODE LEFT FML

[cosmickyeom]

💌: what songs remind you of each member? c:

as i had 10/13 members answered for, i realized that this could've been asking for me to select from SEVENTEEN's discography and i just made things 10000% harder for myself. either way, please do share the songs that remind you of the members, i'm always looking to update my playlists! thanks for the question, 💌 bubsie!

seungcheol (i'm crying my eyeballs out so any typo you see is because of my obstructed vision): baekhyun's every second! the lyrics just have me feeling some kind of way. i absolutely have too many soft feelings for our strong, capable, and reliable leader. also war with heaven by keshi for reasons i will indulge in another day. jeonghan: beenzino's aquaman! this song gave birth to yoonzino and this video lives in my head rent free. to see seventeen hyping him up is so wholesome and IT FEEDS INTO MY HEART, YOU KNOW? i also think about seventeen's mixtape because of jeonghan chicken for caratland (hehe)! joshua: in the theme of old school love songs not by m5, savage garden's truly madly deeply is cute as HECK. for something more upbeat, lauv's tattoos together. for something humorous but iconic, L.A. boyz from victorious! junhui: i honestly feel like everyone's been whiplashed by jun during the world tour. MANS WAS SERVING. HE KNEW WHAT HE WAS DOING. UGH. anyways, ariana grande's dangerous woman soonyoung: you were beautiful by day6 for our fanboy! in terms of a song that has the power to get you MOVING, chris brown's fine china. i just enjoy the beat and it's something i know would end me if he performed it. and it brings me back to when he danced to privacy! wonwoo: most songs by IU make me think of wonwoo. i'll give a special mention to through the night. in terms of vibes, fijiblue's butterflies also reminds me of wonwoo. the lyrics are sad, but the song itself sounds quite upbeat. it's complex. jihoon: i constantly wonder if jihoon had gone through 1000 heartbreaks. like, sir? are we OKAY? anyways, please give irresistible by 1D and i'm not the only one by sam smith a listen as you're staring out your window as it's raining outside. dokyeom: pulling two from harry styles' discography! late night talking and treat people with kindness. dokyeom is my emotional support human! these songs make me happy, he makes me infinitely more so! mingyu: harry style's golden is the one for our golden retriever boy, the boy with the MOST BEAUTIFUL SKIN THAT KEEPS GETTING WHITE WASHED? JAIL. also, because of his buzzfeed interview, lauv and troye sivan's i'm so tired. we moved on from his gray hair too fast. minghao: specifically, the live version of bandaids by keshi. it's the vibe. it's artsy. it's soft. it's relaxing. it's a weirdly cozy song to just kinda relax your brain to? hansol: i feel bad for giving the excuse of the vibes, but... there's no other way to put it!!! big wild's afterglow and danrell and småland's hostage (ghost edit)!!! seungkwan: HEHEHEHEH. olivia rodrigo's good 4 u. seungkwan is just highkey petty and i think he definitely has the vocal range to kill this song i know that wasn't the assignment but i stand by it . on a more serious note, i also think of kelly clarkson's stronger. boo deserves all the credit for working so hecking hard to be on shows, to get svt on shows, etc. WE LOVE BOO SEUNGKWAN IN THIS HOUSE. chan: ARIANA GRANDE'S POSITIONS BECAUSE WE NEVER GOT A FORMAL DANCE VIDEO FOR IT.

[thran-duils]

And Those I Can’t Charm, I Can Kill (P.3)

Title: And Those I Can’t Charm, I Can Kill (Part Three) Summary: Fem!Reader x Mafia!Tony Stark. Too many fringe gangs were making ties and your father noticed. He reached out to the Stark mob for an alliance, offering up a piece of his territory at first. When Stark told him he had enough land, your father offered up the next best thing: you. He knew Stark needed a wife and what better way to solidify a relationship between the two mafia families? You were not naïve, you knew the life and you were trained with guns and negotiations. Your father had made sure of that. The two of you had seen each other on multiple occasions at mafia get togethers and knew of each other. Stark accepted the transaction but little did he know he was going to get a little hellion handed over to him that would not kiss the ground he walked on. He would grow to love it too. Words: 2,559 Warnings (more WILL be added, I am sure): Eventual smut, power dynamics, sexism, smut, public sex, fingering, dom/sub powerplay, kidnapping, violence, death, knife kink, gun kink, angst with a happy ending Author’s Note: I’ve been listening to this song on repeat for AN HOUR as I’ve been writing this. What a club song.

Part Two || Part Four || Masterpost mobile || Fanfic masterpost

A handful of days later, you were following a bouncer through a crowded club. You and your friends had gone out to dinner and Tony had told you on the phone to come here after dinner. It was Natasha’s birthday, and you were supposed to be there to celebrate it with them. He had granted you permission to bring some of your friends. You were unsure if it was just him being nice or if he wanted to know who your friends were for a better read on you. Perhaps it was both.

“This is nice!” One of your friends said in your ear as the group of you were let into the roped off VIP area.

The plush, white seats of the multiple long booths were glimmering in the neon lights and your eyes were drawn to the sectioned video screen, watching the underwater animation on the different screens. Some people were already here, but the only one you recognized was Bucky. He was sitting with a couple of other men, and he gave you a little wave. You acknowledged him in return and noticed he took his phone out. There was a large chance he was texting Tony to let him know that you were there. Keeping tabs still and the thought of it made you scowl.

Even more so when you knew Tony was not there yet. If he wanted you here so bad, where was he? You could have gone to a bar after dinner for a while rather than just coming straight here like he requested. He had been on a business trip the last couple of days, and you were not close to Natasha. It was all about appearances for him. Appear happy. Appear like a power couple. You had acted your part well the other day in the restaurant and he had been satisfied with that. You had felt a flutter of pride seeing how he smiled at you, how impressed he had been at how you handled yourself. Like he saw some worth in you other than a trophy wife.

“Where are the drinks?” Your friend asked, interrupting your thoughts, and you snorted.

“My thoughts exactly.”

<><><>

Tony walked into the VIP section, followed by Rhodey and Bruce. His eyes were running over the people in there, some of them from his crew and the others, Y/N’s friends. He quickly realized Y/N was nowhere in sight and he sighed, annoyance bubbling in his chest. He had specifically told her to come here after they finished dinner. It was after 10:30pm; there was no way she was still eating dinner.

He had been in Atlanta the last couple of days and had just gotten back home mere hours beforehand.

Donning a mask of contentment, he walked over to the table where Natasha was sitting with Clint. He held out the bag he was holding, and Natasha waved him off.

“You did not need to buy me anything. You already provided this amazing space to celebrate me.”

“Take it or I’ll make you open it,” he half teased.

She kissed his cheek and he smiled in response, handing the bag off to her.

Standing straight again, his eyes landed on the ladies in the booth. Bucky was nowhere in sight, so he could not ask him, so he walked over to the women. They eyed him, some looking at him with curiosity, others with arousal.

“Ladies,” he greeted.

“Mr. Stark?” one of them ventured.

He flashed a smile, “Guilty. Can any of you tell me where my lovely wife is? Did she leave?”

“She’s dancing!” The woman closest to him answered over the music.

Tony exhaled, “Right. Okay. Thank you.”

“Thank you for inviting us!” the first girl said and he nodded.

“Anything to make Y/N feel more comfortable.”

<><><>

Near the railing, Bucky had already realized himself Y/N was not upstairs with the group when he noticed Tony arrived, so he was putting eyes on the crowd outside the VIP section where he had a better view of the dance floor. He was hoping to get an eye on her before Tony did in case anything was less than savory. She had left the section awhile ago and had not come back. In his drunk haze, he had not been paying close enough attention to the amount of time. Stupid stupid stupid. She was a target as much as Tony now, probably even more so because she could be held for ransom as collateral. He should have been paying more attention. He was not her body guard though; that had been Erick. And he had followed her down.

“Christ,” Bucky said to himself as he spotted Y/N near the bar.

“What?” Bruce asked him, his hand coming to rest on the railing as he peered over the crowd.

Bucky startled at Bruce’s voice but recovered quickly. “Where’s Tony?”

“Right here,” Tony answered from behind him. Bucky swallowed sharply before turning his head. “Where’s Y/N? Her friends said she was dancing.” He joined them at the railing. “Has she been drinking a lot?”

“They had a couple shots when she was up here. She left about twenty minutes ago to go downstairs. Erick went with her,” Bucky informed him. He saw Erick was off to the side though, not interfering with the scene in front of him. “She’s by the bar… with that guy.”

<><><>

The man’s hand slipped up your skirt and you stiffened.

Trying to pull away you turned around to face him. Taking a step back you kept dancing but carved out some space for yourself. The guy looked amused by the action and his hands were pawing at your hips again, yanking you close again. His hands slipped back, gripping at your ass.

“Okay,” you forced out a laugh, hands coming to his arms. “Let’s keep it friendly.”

“I’m being perfectly friendly,” he answered, refusing to let you get away.

Attempting to pull away, you said, “Friendly as in PG. No hands up the skirts.”

The guy chuckled, trying to pull you back to him. “Sweetheart, with legs like that, can you blame me for trying to touch you?”

“Yes, I can,” you told him, pulling away with more force this time. “We’re dancing, not dry humping.”

“Is there a difference?” he asked, still all smiles but you could see the tight lines at his eyes. The smile was becoming more forced. He was getting impatient. He was on you again, hands coming to your sides.

“I’m married. There’s a big—” you started to say before you were suddenly jerked away from the guy and a figure came in between the two of you.

It took you a few moments to register it was your husband. His back was to you but you could sense he was enraged.

“The fuck is your problem?” the guy shouted at Tony above the music.

“My problem is you’re touching my wife!”

The guy’s eyes shot to you, where you were standing behind Tony. He tried to brush of the awkwardness by crassly laughing, “Maybe you should tell your ‘wife’ to not be such a slut and guys like me wouldn’t put their hands on her!”

Tony’s fist collided with his center, right below the rib cage. The guy’s eyes bulged, gasping for air. Tony socked him again in the same spot with precision, causing his knees to buckle. Tony’s closed fist came down hard across his cheek, whiplashing the guy’s head and knocking him completely to the ground. The crowd had parted, and it was just the pair of them in the small circle, the music still bumping. The guy had not even stood a chance.

He turned on you now and your eyes were wide, shocked he had just beaten the crap out of someone in front of everyone.

“You. Me. Upstairs,” Tony ordered loudly to you, his hand clamping down around your arm.

“They’re gonna call the cops!” you gasped.

“They shouldn’t. I own the place,” Tony responded gruffly, his hand tight around your arm as he dragged you away.

When had he taken over? This place used to be Balthazar’s. Erick was there suddenly, and he was already pulling the guy to his feet. He told Tony he had it and Tony barely registered that he had heard him. You felt eyes on the pair of you as he moved through the crowd that parted easily for him at first but the further you got from the scene, it was a normal inebriated crowd dancing their lives away.

Tony was pulling you up the stairs and turned you away from where the VIP section was on the other end of the upper floor.

“What are you doing? Where are we going?” you demanded.

He did not answer you and took you down the hall that was marked Exit. He held up his watch to the door and it unlocked, and he pulled you inside. There were a couple of men sitting on the couches inside the room – you guessed it was the manager’s office.

“Get out!” Tony barked at them, and they scrambled to do what he said as quickly as possible.

As the door locked close again, Tony whipped you around him and let go of your arm in a fluid motion. His nostrils flared, his eyes wide with his anger. He was visibly shaking when he snarled, “How dare you disrespect me like that! Not even just in public but in my own fucking club!”

Just as enraged at being handled like you had been, you shouted back, “I didn’t ask him to touch me like that, Tony! I was trying to get away from him! Or were you too wrapped up in your own damn ego to notice that?”

Tony snorted, “You didn’t have to ask him if you were already dancing on your own! Seems to me you were looking for trouble! You should have stayed upstairs!”

“Yeah well, good thing you were there! I apparently need a handler!”

Tony was on you, hovering. “I’m glad you recognize that because you drive me insane!”

You shoved him and his eyes were wild, angry you had done it. Well, fucking good! He was blaming you for something you had not done, and he did not need to be so goddamn close. You did it again when he still didn’t give you space.

“I drive you insane?” you demanded.

“Immensely!”

“Right back at you!” you retorted. “Maybe you shouldn’t accuse me of things I haven’t done! You did the right thing taking me away, but your anger is completely misdirected! I wasn’t trying to disrespect you! I wanted to just dance! And then some guy comes and lays hands all over me! I told him I was married and he didn’t care! That was the problem! Not me wanting to dance! Redirect your anger, you pompous asshole!”

Tony’s hand came up to lazily point at his chest, sarcasm dripping, “Oh, I’m an asshole?”

“Did I stutter?”

“According to you, I just saved you from an uncomfortable situation!”

“Do you want me to throw you a fucking parade for acting like a decent human being who saw someone in trouble and came to the rescue?”

“You’re so goddamn overdramatic!”

“Overdramatic?”

“Did I stutter?” Tony spat back.

Your chests heaving from your passion, the anger thrumming, the two of you stared daggers through the other. The music was muffled by the door, only the bass thumping.

The air was tight.

Tony’s lips parted ever so slightly, and your eyes fell to the movement for a brief second before meeting his gaze again.

Too tight. It was spilling over.

You threw hands at him but in a different type of aggressiveness. Your fingers curled into his shirt, yanking him to you instead of away. Your lips crashed together, and his arms found their home around you. Your back hit the wall and he was grinding his pelvis into you, both of you gasping for brief air in between passionate kisses. His hands ruched your dress up over your hips and he quickly came to grip at your ass as he groaned into your kiss.

“Unzip me,” you gasped and he did so without any more direction, shoving the dress down your body, leaving you in your bra and thong.

Tony was breathing erratic, watching you hungrily.

“Lose them,” you told him, meaning his jeans, tugging at them, and he caught the gist.

The two of you moved in tandem, shredding clothing left and right until you found yourselves up against the couch, the back of Tony’s calves hitting it first. Climbing up and straddling him, you dipped down, holding his jaw as you kissed him with fervor. Tony’s tongue slipped past your lips, swirling around you own. You moaned into his mouth, grinding your hips and he responded in like.

His hands were gripping at the base of your ass, pulling you closer, forcing your pussy to brush against him harder.

You pulled away and he instinctively followed, his lips still pursed. You smiled at the sight, and he noticed, expression falling if only for a moment. You guided him to your entrance and you sunk slowly. His fingers flexed, his breath catching.

“God, you’re drenched,” he murmured, his cock fitting inside, brushing every nerve. “You’ve been such a goddamn tease.”

“A tease?” you asked, sinking completely and he groaned loudly, fully seated inside. “Maybe I was waiting for you to prove yourself! Apparently you can handle me.” You pulled back up, only his head buried in your folds to tease him. “What a coincidence.”

Tony responded with digging his fingers into your thighs and he thrusted hard.

Nipping at his nose, you wrapped your arms around his shoulders.

“Stop stalling,” he growled. He was impatient.

He had been waiting for this for so long, you could gather that. If what your friend had overheard at the wedding was any indication of that. Well, you were going to let him have it.

You were bouncing, your thighs slapping against his. You were falling into the complete and pure pleasure. It was different with him; he was yours, you were his. You controlled the movements and he let you. He was so goddamn attractive and you felt the emotion overwhelming you that you were really married to this man. You needed to stake your claim and it only made you ride harder.

Tony held you close, whispering about how beautiful you were and how lucky he was. Bite marks were left along the top of your breasts, his tongue swirling around your nipples and sucking in. He was worshiping you, completely lost.

And when he gripped you tightly, you gasped when you felt his cum coating, finishing deep. His hand came down, almost slapping, and his thumb found your clit between your bodies. He was rubbing with precision, encouraging you in soft tones.

“C’mon, baby.”

He had you tumbling and him still fully seated inside, the two of you shared in a moan as you clenched.

You grinded your hips once more, enjoying the feeling of him inside. The intimacy was what had been missing, the two of you holding out on the other, too preoccupied with being shielded. This felt good and you hoped it was not a fluke.

~~~

Marvel tags: @coconutqueen21​ @undecidedsworld​ @holl2712​​ @agustdowney​  @biiskuitx​​ @buttercupfangirl​​

Fic tags: @patheticallysentimental​

[starlightblueninja]

Ciao! can I please request headcanons for the bayverse turtles with a gender neutral S/O where they’re hanging out one day and they have music playing on shuffle, but then the reader suddenly starts crying because they used to listen to that song all the time when they were little and it just hit them right in the childhood? Comfort ensues 👉🏽👈🏽 please. and thank you.

Hey!

Thanks for the request! This took a little while because it’s my first one and I wanted it to be nice UwU and I enjoyed playing around with the bois being comforting since I’ve never really done that before. Hope you enjoy 💙♥️🧡💜💚 @sleeplessdreamer14

Leonardo

You’re laying on the couch reading while Leo’s doing katas about ten feet away. Every now and again you’ll look up at him, smiling as his practiced movements resemble a dance. Mikey left some playlist running in the background on his boombox before disappearing to make food, and normally music with lyrics makes it difficult for you to read but you were only really half paying attention to the book. You almost enjoy watching Leo practice more anyway.

The music barely distracts you, at least until you hear that… familiar intro. The rest of the world kind of fades away as the song takes you back years.

Nostalgia clogs your senses, eyes watering before you know it and a lump forming in the back of your throat as you try to hold back from crying. You close the book in your lap and let the music fill your senses. It’s been a while since you’ve heard this one. Memories resurface and you try to simply blink away the tears, but it’s inevitable, they fill your eyes until your vision is watery.

“Hey,” you look up to see Leo sitting down next to you, his eyes filled with concern but voice gentle and comforting as he asks, “What’s wrong?”

“It’s dumb, but… this song just… takes me back,” you respond quietly. “I used to listen to it a lot when I was younger.”

You wipe your eyes with your free hand just as Leo takes your other hand in his. His warm, strong, big hand in yours makes the tears easier to swallow. You squeeze his palm reassuringly and he moves a little closer to you before you continue talking.

“It reminds me of the places I used to go and the friends I used to have, feels like a lifetime ago, when things were less… complicated.”

Leo perfectly understands the wish for things to be easy, and he understands how it feels to not want to carry responsibilities. He knows what it’s like to have a weight on your shoulders. And so, instead of telling you it’s dumb or offering simple platitudes, he presses a kiss to your knuckles and nods in understanding.

“I miss it,” you say simply.

“If it’s any consolation,” he starts. “I’m glad that you’re here now.”

You look up at him with watery eyes but you’re wearing a crooked smile at his remark. The song still plays on in the background but right now you’re more focused on the way the terrapin kisses your forehead and buries his face in your hair. You feel his inhale taking in your scent and you smile against his collarbone, relaxing against him.

Yeah, you still miss your old friends and family, when things were easy and you bore less of the world on your shoulders. But for now you have him, and really, what else do you need?

Raphael

Raph’s got his workout playlist on while you sit next to him, bantering back and forth with him as he does his routine. The music is a surprisingly varied mix, you didn’t expect to hear the couple of 80s pop and early 2000’s girl band songs that you did. You teased him a little about it at first but it was all well meaning.

You don’t really notice what song is playing until about halfway through the first verse. You know this song too well. It’s been a long time since you last heard it, though, and maybe that’s why it affects you the way it does now. Raph had been saying something, but his voice kind of fades away as your focus shifts to the music and the memories it brings back.

Flashes of your childhood flit past your mind’s eye. The good, the bad, the in between, and all the other things you thought you had forgotten about. You don’t even realize there’s tears in your eyes until they’re falling, running hot trails down your cheeks and it’s too late to try and hold them back.

“Hey, hey baby, what’s wrong?” Raph must have noticed you go quiet since now he’s kneeling in front of you with so much concern on his face. “You okay? ‘S it somethin’ I said?”

“No! No no no,” you’re quick to reassure him and he relaxes, but only minutely since it’s clear you’re still upset. “I-It’s stupid, don’t worry about it.”

“‘Ey, don’t say that, whatever it is, it ain’t stupid,” his hand sets itself gently on your knee.

“I just used to listen to this song as a kid a lot, takes me back.”

He’s sat down in front of you now, cross-legged just as you are so your knees are touching his, “That ain’t stupid.”

His hand brushes away the tears from one side of your face, your own hand coming up to dry the other side before you lean into his warm touch. The way his hand cups your cheek comforts you immensely.

“Feels stupid to cry over it.”

But he knows what it’s like to miss the innocence lost with age, so he pinches your cheek lightly and playfully in disagreement, bringing a smile to your face even as you push his hand away.

“I can turn it off if ya want,” he offers gently, and you hesitate before shaking your head no.

“It’s fine, I’ll be fine,” you respond.

“Whatever ya say, shorty.”

And with that you two are right back to your usual lighthearted teasing. He leaves a chaste kiss on your forehead before he goes back to working out, the memories fading away to make room for the new ones you make with him. He makes sure to remember exactly what song it is, though, and you don’t consciously pick up on this fact but you never actually hear it from any of his playlists again after that moment.

Donatello

You two often sit in peaceful quiet. Donnie will work on his projects, you sitting there on your phone or working on your own stuff, occasionally handing him various tools when he needs them. He’s often got something going on in the background, usually podcasts or heavy music when he’s alone, but always soft music when you’re around so he doesn’t miss if you say something to him. Like now, with him under the truck fixing something and you sitting cross-legged a few feet away playing a puzzle game on your phone. You’re waiting patiently for him to be done. Bed time for you two was about an hour ago now but you know how important this fix is for him and that it should really be done tonight. So you don’t press the issue but you are ready to sleep.

You don’t often notice the music he’s got playing unless it’s a song you really like or dislike, it’s just some shuffled Spotify playlist that he thinks fits the vibe of today. But you notice immediately when that song starts playing. It’s so familiar to you, after listening to it so much in the past, that it would be shameful not to recognize it now.

Your vision goes blurry as your focus shifts away from your current self. You’re reminded of the past, the radio in your old house, your parents, the way they always had the same station playing in the house and in the car and at cookouts. You’ve heard this song so much now that it immediately throws you back into the past. It happens so fast you might as well have whiplash, but you just get misty eyed instead.

Your bottom lip trembles, warm lines running down your cheeks soon after and Donnie notices quickly that something is up when you don’t respond to his request for the torx screwdriver. He slides out from under the truck but you don’t even notice at first. The music has all but consumed you now.

“Y/N? Darling, what’s wrong?” He’s immediately at your side, a large hand gently on your bicep pulling you back to reality.

You look up at him but realize that it’s a little hard to see him with the way the tears have pooled. He can’t help but think that, even though he hates hates hates seeing you upset, that those tears make your eyes glisten so beautifully under the lights.

His other hand not on your arm comes up to brush the tears away as he repeats the question now that he’s got your focus.

“I used to listen to this song a lot as a kid,” you supply an answer softly, gaze falling from his. “Just makes me sad… I dunno why, I guess it just kinda hit me. Sorry.”

“No, no, dove, don’t apologize,” he says. “I understand and you’re alright, I’ve got you here, now.”

His sugar sweet words and oh so gentle hands comfort you. You offer a watery smile before moving into his arms, letting him wrap his arms around you. You return the hug the best you can with his shell in the way, face tucked into the crook of his shoulder, and he can feel the way more tears fall from your eyes and onto his skin. He doesn’t mind though, he simply holds you. He enjoys just holding you even if he’s never admitted it out loud before. He likes knowing he can be there for you.

And he may not fully understand how your memories attached to this song make you upset, but he understands the pain and will do anything to make you feel better.

His hands run over your back, soothing trails on your shoulder blades over your shirt. Then he’s reaching for a remote he set nearby to turn the radio off. He doesn’t even need to ask you anything to know when you want his hands back on you.

“You’re the best,” you say when your gaze has fully refocused and the tears have calmed.

“No, actually, I think that’s you,” he responds, before pressing a kiss to your hair and deciding to bring you to bed, putting off the truck repairs for grumpy morning-Donnie in favor of treating you like a queen now.

Michelangelo

You and Mikey will play a video game together quietly with music on in the background. Sometimes you’ll lay on his chest and watch him play, but in times like this, when the week has been rough and you both need some quiet down time, you lay on opposite ends of the couch with your legs tangled together playing a multi-player game that relaxes both of you. Tonight it’s Minecraft, and though you both like the music of the game, you’d both agreed on having a playlist on too.

You’re mining out a coal deposit in the game when you hear that song come on the background. Mikey notices faster than any of his other brothers would that something is off. He can practically smell how the air around you sours.

Childhood memories flood back to you as you recognize every line of the song as it plays, pulling you back and away from the now. Good memories give you life vests in the flood, bad memories tie weights to your ankles. You’ve paused in the game, your character just staring at the block wall. People, places, events, all of it suddenly overwhelms you as the music plays.

Mikey is on you in seconds though, throwing himself into your arms as soon as he notices that there’s an issue. You’ve got a lap-full of buff turtle man pulling you back into the present.

“Babycakes, you smell grump, what’s wrong?” He says while littering chaste kisses across your face.

He doesn’t even give you the time to get truly upset, let alone start crying, as he’s so in-tune to your emotions that he’s always right there to comfort you.

“I’m okay, baby,” you responds, wrapping your arms around his shoulders. “Just… thinking about childhood stuff. This song reminded me of it.”

“This song?” He says, suddenly jumping up.

You don’t know where he’s going but can see the humor practically dripping off of him. He storms up to the boombox, blatantly glaring at it. While watching him poke the speaker a few times like he’s threatening one of the many criminals he often fights, you can’t help but smile. He’s so lovely, and always knows how to make you laugh.

“You!” He snaps at the machine like it’s sentient, the same song still playing. “What’d you say to my girl, huh? Punk? Wanna act like a tough guy now? Too late, fella.”

You laugh as he jabs his finger at the skip song button and it changes to something different. You like this song, Hopeless by Khalid, Mikey likes it too. His attention is recaptured when you laugh at his antics. He smiles at you before making his way back over to the couch, crawling easily back into your arms as you continue giggling.

He kisses you before booping your nose, “Don’t be sad about the past, cherry tomato, we got the whole future ahead of us.”

“Cherry tomato?”

“Yeah,” he says, offering no further explanation as he relaxes on top of you with his controller, easily shifting back into the game.

He’s quick to go from one thing to another, but you can tell he’s truly there for you when he continues to lay his head on you, announcing that he’s coming to find you in-game. Every now and again he presses a little kiss to your stomach or chest, wherever his lips meet in that moment. Your confusing and bittersweet past is left buried under your love for your beautiful, caring, protective terrapin.

[idwithoutthesuperego]

6 + 1

SUMMARY: This were the 6 times you really wished you had kissed Harry’s lips. And time the one time he kissed you. A Harry Styles x male reader fic because there aren’t enough of these around.

 Tags: Harry Syles x male reader; angst; fluff

 I said i’d fucking do it. Might make a malls series out of it, not sure yet.

~~~~~~~~

The first Time you really wished you could kiss The Harry Styles was, well, after he became your crush. Teen years and all, who could resist the pop sensation of 1D? Not you, that’s for sure. All it took was watching a goddamn talent show on TV to develop a crush on a curly haired boy with a dimpled smile who you would never know.

But you could dream, literally. After your diehard crush left the show and became part of band, you dreamt of it. And you had an embarrassing dream where you kissed the boy. You blame the YouTube videos really.

Nonetheless, it was an impossible crush, idealized at best. That’s what you told yourself.

~~~~~~~~

A year later, you were dragged to yet another social event that you really wasn’t a fan of. It was on a very fancy estate that belonged to a media CEO your father was friends with. The kind of event where you had to go to have lunch, listen to some live musicians, pretend to like everybody, kiss some ass, be up to date on everything from politics to the personal lives of the present. It was just a tiring afternoon altogether.

What you didn’t predict on your tiring plans was that your father’s friend, was also a friend of the agent of a particular band that the crush you still hadn’t gotten over was on. Luckily, you dressed to impress on these occasions. Maybe fate was on your side and you had a shot?

Arriving at the lunch party, you and your parents were immediately lead to the host, and you lost a good hour saying your greeting to many of the present. Since most of the people were a little older than you’d like, the conversations tended to drag on. Only when you heard one the guests comment on one of the performing band’s name your head did a whiplash.

After a while you found them, they were there with their agent who was introducing them to many influential people. Even if the boys weren’t very comfortable. And Harry was there too of course. You wanted to go and introduce yourself, but that would be way too awkward. So you decided to just keep some distance and wait for the universe to save you from yourself.

And yet again it happened.

You were on phone, pinning over the boy a few feet away to your friend, when you heard the voice you only knew from music and TV beside you. Lifting your head, you saw that Harry looked like a deer in headlights when a man you recognized was inquiring him about many subjects you were pretty sure were internal secrets from SyCo. You doubted he knew any, and couldn’t believe someone would do it so blatantly in public.

So you stepped in, right between Harry and the old man.

“Hey, Mister Stone, long time since we last saw! I’m so sorry to interrupt, but I have to steal Harry here, we have some urgent business we need to discuss right away.” You said, giving Harry a wink and a chance to leave.

“Yeah, that’s right! I had forgotten it, we need to leave right now.” Harry said with that deep voice of his.

“Oh, hello (Y/n), but of course, if he had already made plans with you, I’ll take my leave.” The man left without question.

You guided Harry to a more secluded place you knew, where there was a bench near a small lake, having been there way too many weekends for this kind of parties.

“Thanks for that.” He started. “I really didn’t know how to run away from him.”

“No problem, these people are crazy sometimes. Just don’t let them smell the fear in you and all should be fine.” You responded with a smile.

He returned it, and damn seeing it up close his smile was even better. “You could have come sooner you know?”

“Complaining to the people who save you mister Styles? Not very British or polite of you to treat your hero this way is it?” you teased with a smirk.

“No, that’s not it!” He quickly responded, waving his hands. “I saw you earlier, when I was with the boys, it’s just that… you could have said hi before.”

“Oh… you saw that… Well, that’s embarrassing.” You averted your gaze, making him chuckle.

“And are you gonna properly introduce yourself? You know my name, so I should know yours.” He offered giving you a sympathetic look, which only made you blush a little.

“(Y/n) (L/n), nice to formerly meet you.” You said, extending your hand.

“Harry Styles, but you already knew that.” He said with a smile.

When you shook his hand, you swore he held it for way too long, and when you were going to let go of it, he kept holding your hand. Boy, you were definitely blushing and in heaven. But these things never last, and his vibrating phone ruined it.

“Sorry, I have to go; we are going to play in a few. Are you going to watch?”

“Sure, I might know a few songs.” You probably knew them all.

“Here.” Harry handed you his phone. “Give me your number so we can meet later. Never know when I might need rescuing.” He gave you a wink.

And that was the second time you really wished you could kiss Harry Styles.

You watched the show. But you never got to meet him after it, their agent ushering the boys out because of some appointment they had later on.

~~~~~~~~

That night you a text message that read:

Hey, it’s harry, bummer we couldn’t talk after the show… but we can text Going to put your name as (y/n) my hero x

- H

That was the third time you really wished you could kiss Harry Styles.

~~~~~~~~

Over the next two years, you and Harry had only grown closer, but unfortunately, not physically, as you wished. You still had a massive crush on him. And you both talked nearly every day. But through texts, voice messages and video chats. One Direction was always on never-ending world tours and interviews and whatnots.

And you, well, you had been forced to join the family business, had your university classes, and a very demanding schedule that you didn’t really like. The both of you had met here and there, but only for a day or two every year, when both of your schedules permitted.

It would soon be your 20th birthday and you what you really wanted was to have a day off, go to a gay club, and maybe have the guy you liked with you. But you knew that was impossible. Just imagining the headlines on the papers could already give you headaches. If your father even let the papers run to tell the truth, he would probably wrap it up and just kick you to the street, saying you died in some accident. Or worse, they only were the accepting kind in public.

Harry knew, not that you had feelings for him, but that you weren’t straight, he had already admit not being exactly straight himself, but the impact of admitting it to the public, well, management had already said it was a big no.

When the date came, you sneaked off from the big party that your parent threw you to answer a call from Harry. He was all sweaty and tired, probably had just ended a show and really needed some rest if your math was right, but he called to wish you happy birthday, to tell you everything would be alright and it would get better.

That was the fourth time you really wish you could kiss Harry Styles.

~~~~~~~~

Later that year, One Direction announced a hiatus. And you thought that maybe it was finally it, your chance. You could tell harry how you felt now that he was going to build his own career. You were even prepared to face the consequences with your family.

He told you himself how he would be able to be his own person, do stuff he liked, make his own choices, how happy he was. And you were so happy for him. But along with the news, came the news that he was starting to see a girl, a model or whatever.

That night you cried yourself to sleep. And hated yourself for spending three years liking a guy that you talked to everyday, who became such a big part of your life, one your best friends, and not admitting it. And you hated harry, because you pretty sure he knew how you felt, even if you hadn’t admitted it. But all that you really wanted before you finally got to sleep in the midst of your tears, was him to make it better.

And that was the fifth time you really wish you could kiss Harry Styles.

~~~~~~~~

After that you both slowly fell out of contact. You started making excuses about classes that you weren’t really taking, exams that you had already taken, you even began working more on the family’s company, making a name for yourself and earning quite some money.

Harry went on to become a solo artist, released his first album. Went from your crush, to your best friend, to the guy you probably even loved, to a friend, to a guy you used to talk.

When his second album was released, he only sent you a ticket and backstage pass with the message:

I hope you haven’t changed your number and this is still (y/n) my hero

Can we talk?

- H

You never replied to it, but took a plane and went to the show anyway.

During the show you became certain, time had not fully mended your broken heart. You still felt an ache looking at him, listening to his voice, seeing his smile. But neither of you had said a word to each other in three years, since you congratulated him on his first album, so you owed it to Harry to at least listen to what he had to say. It was not as if he knew why you had stopped talking to him.

After the show you went to meet him backstage, a member of the staff leading you to Harry’s room. Absorbed in your own thoughts, you didn’t even knock, just let yourself in, only realizing what you did after you slammed the door shut.

He was the first to speak, startled by your bursting in. “Hey (y/n)… You are here.” He got up from his chair, taking a step into your direction.

“Hi Harry.” You gave him a half smile.

“You look nice… I didn’t know if you were really coming. You never answered my text.”

“Yeah, about that, must have forgotten it… But you look nice too. The new hair looks good.” You gave a genuine smile, your hand rising to feel it, but you stopped yourself.

“That’s a lie.” He said calmly.

“What do you mean?”

“The text, you didn’t forget it (y/n). I still know you, I know when you are lying to me, I always knew.” He said looking deep into your eyes, voice firm.

“Is that what you wanted to talk about Harry? You called me here to call me a liar?” You defended.

“No. I asked you here because I missed you, and there is something I needed to know!” He sighed, tiredness showing in his voice. “I have been wanting to ask you something for the longest time, it just keeps me awake at night, so I need to know.”

“You could have called.” You spat, crossing your arms. You weren’t really sure if you had said that to him or to yourself.

“Would you have answered?”

“I… don’t know…” And that was the truth. “I missed you too you know? Like, every day…” you laughed bitterly. “You were my best friend, and not talking to you was so fucking hard... What do you want know Harry? Ask away, apparently I can’t lie.” You looked at him for answers, what could he want after all this time? It had been over four years since you two fell out, you were pretty sure there was nothing more left of your friendship to savage. You wish there wasn’t, at least it wouldn’t hurt looking at him.

“(Y/n), look me in the eyes and tell me truth, did you like me? Did you ever like me? Not like as your best friend, but really like me?”

And “well fuck” was all that you could answer. It was such a clear and quick response to an unexpected question, that no further answer was needed. And that made Harry smile till his dimples showed.

“Since when? Why didn’t you tell me?” He took another step closer to you.

“Really Harry? For someone who can tell when I’m lying you are pretty daft. Since when? Since fucking always.” You started pacing the room. “Since we first met. I had a crush on you before, but when we became friends and I got to know you, I started to have real feelings for you.” You were angry and it all just started spilling out. “And it only got worse, but you couldn’t date a guy because of one direction’s management. And when you became solo I was gonna tell you, I was gonna fucking confess my heart out! But you said you were dating a girl you never mentioned before.” Tears started to appear at the corner of your eyes. “So that’s why!”

“Oh…” He stared dumb folded at you.

“Oh?! Is that all you have to say Harry? I expected at least a verbal rejection.” You half yelled, balling your hands into fists.

Harry got in front you, grabbing your hands and stopping your pacing. “Do you still like me?”

“I just really want to punch you right now. If that’s why you are asking and holding my hands?”

“No you don’t. I know you’d never punch me.” He said with that smirk that you hated yourself for finding so cute right now. “I’m asking because I also liked you. I still do, never really stopped you know?” He said intertwining your fingers. “Since you saved me from that creepy old man. Why do you think I saved you name as ‘my hero’ on phone? I had the biggest crush ever on you. But I didn’t know if you liked me. Even after you said you were gay, I kept thinking that I had no chance, because we could never see each other. So I just… I settled with having casual relationships…” He shrugged.

Your tears were now flowing, so Harry caught them with his thumb before continuing. “When we stopped talking, I assumed you had found someone. But I couldn’t get over you… That’s why I called you here.” You could see tears starting to appear on his eyes as well.

“I couldn’t get over you and that stupid smile of yours either, you know? Or over those eyes” You said laugh bubbling from your chest.

“I’m so fucking happy to hear that.”

And looking at him smile at you after all that was said right there between the two of you, that was the sixth time you really wish you could kiss Harry Styles.

But this time, when Harry saw you looking at his lips, his hands left yours and cradled your face, his eyes slowly closed and you could feel his breath nearing yours. This time, it was Harry who kissed you.

The meeting of your lips was everything you wished for and so much more. It was both soft and delicate like you always wished, but also a little rough with desire. You could literally feel the knots in your stomach, your hands going to Harry’s waist. Both of your lips soon opened way for your tongues, looking to explore each other’s mouths, it was a fight for dominance, a longing to recover the lost time. Both your and his hands began mapping your bodies while you breathed the same air. It was like dancing to a silent song you always knew but never heard. It was perfect.

When you parted, both breathless and cheeks tinted pink, looking into Harry’s green eyes and stupid dimple smile, you knew. He felt the same as you. And for now, that was all that mattered.

 -------------------------------------------------

Comments, likes and shares are deeply appreciated!

[365days365movies]

February 27, 2021: Love Actually (2003) (Part 1)

We gotta start this Recap.

Just trust me here, this one’s gonna be a lot. Why? Because this is Love Actually.

And I really want to talk about it, I REALLY do, but...this is not only a long movie, but an anthology, so it’s gonna be...complicated. But, I will say one thing. If you’ve been reading this since January, then you’ll know that this blog was inspired by the book Shit, Actually by Lindy West, a collection of hilarious movie essays that I love. And, yeah, this film is its namesake. So, although I want to go more into it, we gotta get started. Sorry for the rush, but...TRUST ME.

SPOILERS AHEAD!!!

Recap (1/2)

An airport! We see families and other loved ones reunited at Heathrow, as narration begins, telling us that love is everywhere. After name-dropping 9/11...TWO YEARS after it had happened (too soon, David), he states that “love actually is all around.”

Got it. So, as the 2003 film All Around begins, singer Billy Mack (Bill Nighy) is trying to sing a Christmas-themed version of “Love Is All Around,” which is pretty goddamn bad. His recording manager Joe (Gregor Fisher) agrees. Jamie (Colin Firth) tells his sick girlfriend (Sienna Guillory) that he loves her, and he takes off for something that he can’t attend.

Daniel (Liam Neeson), a fresh widower, calls his friend Karen (Emma Thompson) a mom bidding her daughter a good day as she heads to school. Jack (Martin Freeman) and Judy (Joanna Page) are...air humping on a set? I need to know more. Peter (Chiwetel Ejiofor) and Juliet (Kiera Knightley) are getting married in a church, with their friend Mark (Andrew Lincoln) as the best man. And FINALLY, David (Hugh Grant) has just been elected as the new Prime Minister, where he meets Natalie (Martine McCutcheon), a member of the household staff.

...Well, that is a lot. Goddamn. So, this is an anthology movie, huh? I’ll try to cover this as smoothly as I can.

Peter and Juliet say their vows, and as they walk out, they are surprised by a rendition of the Beatles’ “All You Need Is Love”, organized by Mark. At the wedding is Jamie, whose brother is at his apartment when he returns home early. He’s there to fuck his girlfriend. Oh. Shit. Well, sorry, Jamie. 

Also at the wedding is Colin (Kris Marshall), a waiter and messenger who’s been trying to woo British women, but is constantly failing. When talking to his friend Tony (Abdul Sallis), he insists that he’s going to the USA, where the women will appreciate his accent. Tony tells him to simply accept that he’s a “lonely, ugly asshole”. Colin, in response, calls himself a God of sex on the wrong continent. A pair, these two.

Tony is a production assistant, working on the film that Jack and Judy are in. They’re apparently professional stand-ins, actors who substitute actors in film set-up, in order to figure out lighting and cinematography. Neat! Well, normally. Here, they’re standing in for a sex scene, and they ask Judy to go topless, to see how best to frame the shot. And it gets...increasingly awkward. And it’s pretty goddamn funny.

Meanwhile, a funeral. Oof, tone whiplash right there. It’s a funeral for Daniel’s wife Joanna, and she leaves behind him and her son, Sam (Thomas Sangster AKA fuckin’ Joffrey, but I won’t hold that against him). Back at the wedding, Mark stares on longingly at the dancing Peter and Juliet. A woman asks if he’s in love with Mark, and he replies no.

At an office building, another guest at the wedding, Sarah (Laura Linney), is a worker at a graphic design company run by Harry (...awww, Alan Rickman). His secretary Mia (Heike Makatsch) brings her in to Harry’s office, where he tells her that he and everyone else in the office knows that she’s in love with fellow worker Karl (Rodrigo Santoro), and that he should get it over with an ask him out. He walks by her, and she doesn’t say anything, while also recieving a call...from someone she refers to as “babe”. Well, I feel a little infidelity coming on.

On Mia’s radio, Billy Mack’s shitty Christmas song is playing, and a radio host agrees as Bill’s brought on for an interview. Bill shares the sentiment in what must be the most depressing radio interview I’ve ever heard. In that interview with Mikey (Marcus Brigstocke), he basically completely sabotages his own record, and probably his entire career. This interview is followed with news about the Prime Minister.

David, new PM, has been bonding more with Natalie, and the two definitely appear to like each other. He also comes up in conversation between Judy and Jack, as their stand-in sex scene has progressed to basically just straight-up sex, which feels...I feel like this doesn’t fucking happen with stand-ins in movies...right? Like, come on, that’s a LOT of breached privacy, and I feel like it’s not that realistic. Anyway, the two use the opportunity to make small talk, and Jack tells Judy that he appreciates having someone to talk to. She agrees, and it’s cute in an extremely awkward way!

Production assistant Tony is heading home, and is getting a ride from Colin, who announces that he’s bought a ticket for a trip to the beautiful land of Wisconsin, where he will certainly meet some hot, hot babes. Tony does not agree.

Back at Harry’s office, he and Mia plan the company Christmas party. Mia unsubtly notes that she kinda has the hots for him, and he’s not saying no. Meanwhile, Daniel and Karen are talking about the fact that his stepson Sam seems to be having a lot of trouble, understandably, and Daniel’s not doing much better. 

Karen does her best to help him through it, and Daniel does his best to help the troubled Samuel. But he can’t coax much out of Samuel to figure out what’s wrong. Samuel finally opens up, but tells Daniel that he’s in love. Daniel’s surprised, but he insists that he’s in love, with a young woman named Sansa Stark, but he must find a way to ensure her loyalty, if ONLY HER NOBLE FATHER WASN’T IN THE...right, sorry, Game of Thrones.

OK, anyway, Sam’s in love, and in complete agony about it. Daniel tries to coach Sam through his feelings, and is genuinely being a supportive-as-hell stepdad. Also in love and in agony is Sarah, staring at Karl from afar one night as the office closes down. And then, also in agony is Jamie, fresh off of his breakup with his cheating girlfriend. He’s in a GORGEOUS AS FUCK house in the French countryside, and sits down to write.

Back in London, David tries to get to know Natalie a bit better, and they...I mean, they’re 100% gonna get together by the end. We’re just working through the romantic folderol right now. Natalie leaves, and David asks a portrait of Margaret Thatcher is she had that problem, calling her a, uh...a “saucy minx.” Well, OK.

Billy Mack is on a television show, continuing his press tour and reminding us once again that he used to be addicted to heroin. Joe is not happy. Mark, an artist, calls Peter, and is put on the line with Juliet. Peter asks him to “be nice,” but when he they talk to each other, he’s rather short when she asks for some of his footage from the wedding.

Back at Harry’s, Mia is laying it on fuckin’ THIIIIIICK, Jesus, while Sarah ends up pining once more for Karl. At his college in the French countryside, a new housekeeper, Aurélia ( Lúcia Moniz), has been hired to take care of his place. However, there’s a serious language barrier between the two, as she’s Portuguese, and he’s too talkative, goddamn. It’s awkward. It’s a little awkward.

David’s got a meeting with the President of the United States (Billy Bob Thornton), who IMMEDIATELY notes Natalie’s attractiveness. Political tensions are also rough between the two and their administrations. The two have a private meeting later, and David leaves the room for a moment. However, when he goes back in, he sees Natalie kissing the President! Whaaaaaaaat? That’s a...fucking terrible idea, Mr. President, what the FUCK? HAVE YOU HEARD OF BILL CLINTON

The next day, at a press conference, David gives into his rage about the affair, and he acts more assertive towards the President, noting that he won’t bow to the President’s bullying. Wow. International crisis time because of a fuckin’ girl! Who’s the saucy minx, now, Thatcher? WHO’S THE SAUCY MINX NOW

Right afterwards, he gets a call from his sister: Karen. Huh. She notes her frustrations with his actions, but he’s too busy and hangs up. She states her frustrations to her husband: Harry. DOUBLE HUH. After everything, though, David retires for the night. The radio station plays a song for him, and David responds by dancing around 10 Downing Street. And it’s hilarious. And I love it?

At Jamie’s cottage, he and Aurélia start to bond regardless of their language barrier, and their conversations seem to gel with each other, despite them not understanding that themselves. It’s actually...kind of cute. I dunno, I kind of like it. I think it’s sweet. Overly saccharine, yeah, but sweet as the two fall in love. Yeah, I’m a fuckin’ sap, what can I say?

Juliet visits Mark, who’s once again acting fairly cold towards her. She confronts him about it, and notes that she wants to genuinely become friends with him. Mark seems to agree with this, but still notes that he has no video of the wedding. And yet, she finds it, only to discover that Mark doesn’t hate her. Actually, he likes her. Actually...he loves her. And, uh...fuck, yeah, he LOOOOOOOOVES her. And she figures that out once she realizes that the video of the wedding doesn’t feature Peter in it AT ALL.

Y’know, I’m really worried that this is becoming an infidelity situation, but I have to admit...Mark’s a good man, and a great friend to Peter. He knows that he loves Juliet, but he keeps his distance for the sake of his friend. And that is...actually amazingly honorable. Damn. You’re a good man, Mark.

At 10 Downing Street, David asks his assistant Annie (Nina Sosanya) to put Natalie in another position, as her presence is distracting him. And that is...responsible. That’s pretty damn responsible. OK, I can dig it. She’s soon replaced, and you can see that David is saddened by that.

His sister’s best friend's stepson, Sam, has just gotten bad news. His crush, Joanna (oh, yeah, his crush has the same name as his deceased mother, forgot to mention THAT little tidbit), is going back to the USA. After discovering that she’s American, Daniel decides to cheer him up by watching Titanic together. AND AGAIN. This relationship is adorable, and I love Daniel’s hardcore good dad energy.

Jamie and Aurélia need to bid each other goodbye, as Jamie is headed back to England. However, as they part, Aurélia kisses him goodbye, which seems to break him a little. Meanwhile, Billy Mack has shot a video for his terrible song, which inspires Sam to perform in a school concert to get Joanna to fall in lover with him and get her to stay. But he doesn’t play an instrument, and chooses to learn the drums, to Daniel’s dismay.

At Harry’s company Christmas party, Mia is hitting HARDCORE on Harry, which Karen notices. She’s speaking to Sarah, and encourages her to dance with Karl, while to two stand in front of Mark’s photographs, and...

TOO MUCH. IT’S TOO GODDAMN MUCH

I...I gotta take a break, and we’re at the halfway point anyway. See you in Part 2.

[embeanwrites]

can you do an artemis x reader based off of either crush culture by conan gray or scary live by the neighbourhood? sorry if you don’t do song-based fics, i wasn’t sure. thanks anyway!

A/N: I haven’t written a songfic in so long, so I hope I still have that magic! I use to exclusively write them! I hadn’t heard of either of these songs, so I listened to both and went with Scary Love! Also decided to put them both in college bc I’m a sucker for two nerds meeting at a party (Also I’m a simp for cuddles and kisses 

Masterlist

Move to the city with me

Don't wanna be alone

Don't wanna be alone

You're too pretty for me

Baby, I know, it's true, yeah

It was rare Artemis went out with friends, it was even rarer that he followed them to a party. But here he was at some frat house on a Friday. He had ditched his friends five Fridays in a row and he was starting to feel bad about saying no every time. He told himself he just needed to go to one party and then he could say no without feeling guilty. 

He was holding a red solo cup full of a mix between fruit punch and vodka. It was honestly terrible, but by holding it fewer people walked up and asked him if he wanted a drink. He wanted to leave, but he felt bad ditching his friends when they were absolutely wasted. 

The pop music was beginning to give him a headache so he headed outside. He was surprised that the police hadn’t been called to tell them to turn it down. Not technically leaving the party, but he went far enough away that maybe he could just take a break from this mess. Hopefully, his friends would be ready to leave soon. He wasn’t looking forward to babysitting the three of them. 

You look better when you first wake up

Than anybody else I've fucked

Baby, I got good luck with you

I didn't know we'd get so far

And it's only the start

Baby, you got me worried 

Outside a few stragglers were sitting in the grass. Including a couple of people making out. Artemis began walking around the house to find a quiet place to sit.

“Artemis?” He turned towards the voice and saw a girl he recognized from his political sociology class. They were the only two people who regularly talked and answered the professor’s questions. She was highly intelligent and was a decent debater. 

“(Y/n).” He smiled and walked towards her. He sat down next to her. She was sitting in the grass with a book. When he sat down she put her bookmark in and held her book to her chest. 

“I didn’t expect to see you here.” She looked over at him with a small smile. 

“I didn’t expect to spend my Friday here.” He smiled back at her. Maybe it was the vodka in his system or maybe he was just really happy to be around her. 

Your love is scaring me

No one has ever cared for me

As much as you do, ooh

Yeah, I need you here

Your love is scaring me

No one has ever cared for me

As much as you do, ooh

Yeah, I need you here

“Do you make it a point to come to parties and sit outside to read?” He teased. She laughed and looked at her book.

“No, I have an essay due tomorrow night and I’ve been putting it off.” She sighed. “My friends forced me to come. They’ve asked me every Friday and I’ve finally run out of excuses they’ll buy.” Artemis felt his face heat up. She was smart and socially awkward like him. 

“What’s your essay about?” He gently took the book from her. ‘Controlling Desires’ by Kirk Ormand. He smirked and flipped through the book. 

“It’s supposed to be about comparing translations to direct sources. However, this dude found new fragments and he credited them to Sappho, but it really seems that he made them up. I asked the professor if I could write about that instead. She said yes, but now I’m regretting it.” Artemis watched her nervously pulling and fidgeting with grass. He noted how nervous she seemed. “I know, I’m a huge dork. I just like sociology and classics.” 

“You’re not a dork for enjoying school.” He nudged his shoulder against hers and she smiled at him. “If I wasn’t here I would probably be reading.”

“What would you be reading?” She asked, watching him flip through her book. 

“Well, seeing this book makes me want to re-read Ovid’s Metamorphoses.” She turned towards Artemis and her whole face lit up, she had a nervous smile. 

Ridin' through the city with me

Just watching you glow

I'm in the passenger sea

You're in control

It's on you now, mhm

“This might be a little forward, but do you want to come back to my dorm?” He watched her fiddle with more pieces of grass. He was surprised by how forward she was, but he would be lying if he said he wasn’t impressed by her. She had guts.

“My friends, they're wasted and I really need to make sure they get home safe.” He watched her face fall, causing him to wince. “I would really like to, it’s just-”

“It’s okay, really I shouldn’t have asked-”

“(Y/n)! Are you ready?” Artemis looked over to see two girls looking over at the two of them curiously. Before he could say anything else she gently took her book back, gave him a small wave, and left with her friends. 

That was the first girl that’s expressed interest in him since coming to college. He pulled his knees to his chest and hugged his legs. He’d be lying if he said he wasn’t interested in her. She is smart, passionate, and cute. He liked the way her eyes lit up when she started talking about something she liked and how she never backed down in class, no matter how many people were against her. He was afraid she wouldn’t like him back, but she just asked him out and he said no. 

“I’m an idiot.” He muttered into his legs. 

You look better every day, I swear

Really, it's a little unfair

Baby, I'm star-struck by you

Didn't know we'd get so far

And it's only the start

Baby, you got me worried (ay)

Artemis managed to wrangle his friends and get them back to their respected dorms before he was standing outside her residence hall. He felt weird knowing where she lived, but she complained about it one time to him in class. It had no AC and the hot water only worked half the time. He had no idea what his next move would be, he didn’t have her phone number and he didn’t even know where her room was. 

“Hey?” He turned around and there she was for the second time. She was still clutching her book from earlier. “What are you doing here?”

“I got my friends home and I thought I’d come by if your offer still stands of course. I understand if you want me to leave.” He sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck and looked at his feet, failing to notice her small smile. “Why aren’t you inside?”

“I walked to my friends' home, they live a couple halls away.” She looked at him nervously. “Do you want to come up to my room? My roommate went home for the weekend. I have a really cool Greece and Rome translation book you may like.” 

“That sounds like fun.” She walked over to Artemis and gently grabbed his hand, leading him inside the building. 

Your love is scaring me

No one has ever cared for me

As much as you do, ooh

Yeah, I need you here

Your love is scaring me

No one has ever cared for me

As much as you do, ooh

Yeah, I need you here

Her room was nice and orderly except for her desk. She had at least twenty books stacked on the desk, papers filled with notes, and old quizzes. He looked over and saw the last paper they had gotten back from political sociology. 

“You got a 99 out of 100?” He asked, he knew she was good at the class, but he hadn’t realized that she was probably the top student in the class. Even with his paper, he got a 95, but he credited most of that to the fact he didn’t grow up around American politics as she had. He looked over at her, her face was flushed red and she looked embarrassed. 

“Yeah, I put that paper through the wringer. I got a 98 on the first one. My goal is to get a 100 on the last one, but I may have bitten off more than I can chew with my topic. What are you writing about?” 

“Political Polarization found in non-fiction books unrelated to politics. What about you?” She smiled widely.

“Conspiracy theories and political polarization. Lord knows how many crazy videos I’ve had to watch for the paper.” They both laughed. “So, I’m a pretty straightforward person, so hopefully this doesn’t freak you out, but I really like you. I think you’re smart and funny and I would be so mad at myself if I didn’t tell you that before the end of the semester.”

 If we fall apart

Maybe it wasn't meant to be

If we fall apart

Then it was our favorite dream

Ooh, ooh, yeah

“I like you too.” He whispered he could barely believe this was happening. But she was standing in front of him with an unreal smile. He couldn’t help but smile back. “This may be the vodka talking, but do you want to make-” She gave him no chance to finish as she pressed her lips against his. 

Without breaking away they both made it towards her bed, well he assumed it was her bed because she led him to it. Breaking away she jumped up on the twin-sized bed and shyly smiled at him. 

“Lowkey, I have liked you since the beginning of the semester. Do you want to make out and cuddle? It’s kind of late to walk back. Don’t you live across campus? You’ve also been drinking so it’s unsafe anyway to walk back alone and if I walk you back then you’d have to walk me back and it would just be an endless cycle.” She talked so fast Artemis thought he was experiencing whiplash. He smiled and jumped up on the bed next to her. 

“Cuddles and making out sounds like a great plan.” He didn’t think it was possible, but her smile grew as she wrapped her arms around his neck. He placed one hand on her cheek and the other on her waist as they resumed kissing. 

Your love is therapy

No drug can give me clarity

As much as you do, ooh 

Yeah, I need you here 

Your love is scaring me 

No one has ever cared for me 

As much as you do, ooh 

Artemis woke up the next morning with a minor headache. He tried to move but realized something was on top of him, one of his arms, in particular, felt as if it was on pin and needles. He must have been in this position for a while for his arm to fall asleep. He looked down and saw (y/n).  

She had her head resting on his chest and one of her arms laying on his stomach. His arm that was asleep was pinned underneath her and his other arm was resting next to hers on his stomach. She looked so peaceful. Careful not to wake her, he brushed some of her hair out of her face and behind her ear. She hummed in contentment but didn’t seem to be awake just yet. Artemis could barely believe that all this happened in one night. 

Maybe going to parties with his friends wasn't always a waste of time. 

Yeah, I need you here

Ooh, I need you, babe

Yeah, yeah, I need you, baby

Yeah

I need you

[infiniteshawn]

Since We’re Alone | 1

Phoebe Rose Bray wasn't a spontaneous woman. But when she drunkenly applied to become a seat filler six months prior, she hadn't been thinking about her internship or her god-awful boss, Margaret, or her starving bank account. She'd been feeling ambitious.

And that's why when she got the email regarding the Sixty-fourth Annual Grammy Awards, she huffed a rather annoyed sigh and silently accepted the invitation.

A massive turn of events, a tragic production slip-up, and a quick diversion led her exactly where she hadn’t intended on ending up: in front of millions of people, wrapped up in the arms of a pop sensation.

a/n: here it is. 1.6 k. new series, or so i think. we’re gonna see how this one goes first. feedback: appreciated

She couldn’t believe she was doing this. Phoebe Rose Bray gave herself a one-over in her hotel bathroom, smoothing out her satin dress with her carefully manicured hands.

It wasn’t often that she travelled out of the country and it was far less often that she travelled alone. But when she drunkenly applied to become a seat filler six months prior, she hadn’t been thinking about her internship or her god-awful boss, Margaret, or her starving bank account. She’d been feeling ambitious.

And that’s why when she got the email regarding the Sixty-fourth Annual Grammy Awards, she huffed a rather annoyed sigh and silently accepted the invitation.

Phoebe began to understand the fuss about Los Angeles traffic when what should have been a ten-minute drive to the Staples Center turned into an hour-long road trip. Thank God Uber provided snacks.

It was more of a process than a celebration—for Phoebe, at least—and she was more interested in being assigned a seat than looking around for the faces of her childhood idols. Relieved to be inside with air conditioning and away from flashing cameras and hollering paparazzi, she settled into her seat and prayed to her lucky stars for a mediocre night.

The show was uneventful, for the most part. For the first half. As soon as the big categories began to surface, the crowd got antsy. From her spot at the back of the floor, Phoebe zoned in on the A-listers sitting closest to the stage, and it was clear they were shifting in their seats. Something was coming.

That something was Record of the Year, she deducted. She tried her best to focus on Justin Timberlake’s never-ending monologue about finally being able to host music’s biggest night, but the headset-wearing woman equipped with a clipboard was inevitable, and Phoebe knew where she was headed.

“You’re next,” the woman spoke, hastily yet quietly, “get ready.”

Phoebe kept a trained eye on the tops of people’s heads because she hadn’t memorized where each artist was sitting and it seemed like the only way she could possibly know where to go.

People came out—Katy Perry and some guy—to present the nominees. Phoebe straightened her spine and firmly planted her stiletto, preparing to jump up at any second. She reminded herself of the importance in being stealth, avoiding taking away from the artist’s acceptance speech because while this was their big moment, she was also contractually bound not to disturb the audience. Names were called. Snippets were played. An announcement was made. And before she knew it, Phoebe was silently power-walking toward the front of the arena, sitting her ass down in Lizzo’s still-warm folding chair.

The crowd had settled and she was giving a very animated speech about the song’s significance, and all Phoebe could focus on was the pointed boot almost touching her strapped-in-toes.

She was positive that the row of seven-or-so people sitting next to her were there together. Most of them muttered to each other during Lizzo’s speech, but the guy beside her was dead silent. He stared straight forward, face aimed directly at the stage. Phoebe could feel his brown eyes on her. She wondered if he was suspicious of her, or frowning upon the idea of seat fillers because maybe he believed that general audience members had no place up front. She never considered that the warmth engulfing her body wasn’t from her own embarrassment, but was instead radiating off of him.

The crowd broke into applause and they, together, realized that they, too, should probably be clapping. So they clapped. The show went on. And though neither of them said a word to the other, they were very aware of one another’s presence.

So much that Phoebe’s brain was running in circles, dreading the moment “Shawn Mendes” would be called as the winner of Album of the Year because he’d somehow have to wiggle past her, and she knew that with her luck she’d probably fall over. Her heart raced as she began debating whether she’d be standing with them in applause or remaining seated, and if she’d be shown on national television. It was all very much very fast and she didn’t even notice that Shawn was muttering under his breath in her direction.

“Psst,” she heard, and she turned in his direction quickly enough to give herself whiplash.

“What?” she whispered in a more offended tone than she’d hoped for. She just wasn’t expecting it.

“I said,” he spoke lowly, leaning in a little closer, “if it helps, I’m nervous too.”

“I’m n-”

“Yes, you are,” he cut her off, shooting her the million-dollar grin that was plastered on every billboard from New York to Tokyo.

He was ethereal. Phoebe knew that celebrities were ridiculously idealized in the media, and with the help of round-the-clock makeup artists and photoshop and endless reserves of cash, they were almost always eternally beautiful. But even this close up, with that damn curl hanging on his forehead, Shawn Mendes was inevitably gorgeous. She avoided his gaze.

“All I’m saying is,” he leaned in a little closer, and she was pretty sure she could feel his breath on her neck, “you can loosen up a bit. Sit back. Look around, no one’s looking at you,” he paused, allowed her to finally adjust to her surroundings, “except me.”

If she wasn’t blushing before, she was bright red now. She figured he would be like this—a womanizer, for the lack of a better term—but she never thought she’d fall victim to any of his one-liners.

Shawn clammed up when a uniformed-producer announced the final commercial break, and Phoebe sat in silence, unable to avoid eavesdropping on the group to her right.

“I’m not sure, man,” Shawn mumbled, leaning toward the suited guy beside him. Both of them were leaning forward, and Phoebe was able to make out the label on his seat. Andrew Gertler.

“Relax, Shawn,” the man she assumed to be Mr. Gertler spoke, “we’ve been here before. They’re either gonna recognize that you deserve it or they aren’t, and in both cases you need to remember that there’s a camera on you. Regardless of what you’re feeling, I need you to really sell it.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Shawn nodded, “just happy to be here. I know.”

“Good,” the man said before taking a sip of his water, “I have a good feeling, kid.”

Shawn didn’t respond. He took a deep breath and sunk back into his seat, watching intently as the rest of his team had a muffled conversation about the afterparty.

Phoebe picked at her cuticles until Shawn rubbed his massive hands together and muttered, “Showtime,” and Timberlake came out once again, thanking everyone for coming and prefacing some montage video of past Album of the Year winners.

She nudged his knee with hers. Shawn’s eyebrows shot up a bit, silently asking if the contact was intentional or if she was just a bit twitchy. She nudged him again.

“If it helps,” she whispered, neither of them looking at each other, “I’m nervous too.”

She couldn’t help but notice the tight-lipped grin creeping up his cheeks in her peripheral vision, and she knew that was just what he needed.

But the wave of comfort and confidence that had overcome Shawn didn’t last long, because the video was over and Pharrell Williams was standing before them, hastily reading through a list of eight album names as if these artists hadn’t put their absolute hearts and souls into each body of work.

A name was called. Phoebe wasn’t sure who it belonged to, but it didn’t belong to Shawn Mendes. The sinking feeling in his stomach somehow translated to her because she, too, felt it. Weightless.

Something was happening, though. The split-screen of nominees hadn’t focused-in on the winner as it usually would, and by some work of the devil it was displaying a massive live-video of Shawn’s face. And the heartbreak-with-a-hint-of-anger written all over it.

Neither Shawn nor his team had caught on to the technical slip-up, and the few seconds they were all on camera felt like hours to Phoebe. She was thinking at a million miles a second, debating tapping him on the shoulder or just saying something, anything, to bring his attention to his very-public negative reaction.

She knew this would be the big headline.

Unless she could make an even bigger one.

Without thinking long enough to convince herself otherwise, Phoebe twisted in her seat and faced the man she’d been so intimidated by for the last half-hour. His distraught eyes met her determined ones, and before he could resist, she muttered something along the lines of, “Just go with it,” and lunged at him, kissing him with everything she had.

Shawn froze and Phoebe panicked—had he not hit on her, this wouldn’t have even been a thought in her mind—but quickly, he melted into it. The gears began turning and her words had convinced him that she had a reason, supported by the way she kissed him with such purpose.

Her hand was on his jaw and his were in her hair, and while he refrained from slipping her the tongue for the sake of everyone watching at home, he still kissed her wildly.

Andrew was jostling Shawn’s arm. The cameramen had sorted their shit out. And Phoebe was up from her seat and running out of the arena faster than any of it had even happened.

taglist: @shxwnmxndess @sunriseshawn @jollybonkpatroldonkey @jesuscheistkaren @casuallycoolcloud @sinplisticshawn @deafeningdeanhoagieturtle @rosieblondie @hannahlouiseee @change-perspective13 @abeautiful-and-cloudy-day @calthesensation @livsalzy

[personalityisnice]

Some Thoughts on Dealing With Intrusive.....Thoughts.

Some thoughts I threw together while I was working on a more in-depth analysis for this episode.

Well, Thomas isn't okay today. Looks like Virgil's not the only one with dark circles under his eyes this episode.

Oh my God, Logan's shriek and Virgil and Patton's reaction to it.

I'd be willing to bet Logan's "What are you talk-what are you talk-what are you talking about" was a take that didn’t go according to plan that they kept. Good call, if so. 

I remember that movie. Mostly for the fact that I was fed up even then with the whole "woman has the gall to spend all her time at work and to not start a family" conceit. And for Jon Heder, whose role in this was his first after Napoleon Dynamite.

Yeah, the sound fading out is a really cool effect. It fits with someone who's gotten no sleep, and captures perfectly that feeling where an intrusive thought sort of...blocks out everything else that's going on around you.

The fingers popping out from behind the tv? Genuinely unsettling. Honest to god though, it took me way too long to realize a new Side had arrived. To be fair, my guess was that Thomas’s intrusive thoughts would be visualized as hallucinations throughout the video for us, the viewers. So I figured that's all the manic looking dude behind the tv was.

First thing I did upon realizing we had a new Side was check his color scheme. So yep, looks like the rainbow theory is all but confirmed. And now I'm going to be thinking of the last dude as Orange Julius until he's shows up and gives us his actual name..

Dude's got a bit of a Snidely whiplash Freddie Mercury thing going on.

Everybody give props to rainbow-sides for semi-predicting this Dark Side.

Damn, I was half-right. I figured we'd get a villain song, but with all three of the Others after they'd all been introduced. But it makes sense that if any of them were going to have one alone, it'd be this guy, seeing as he's Roman's creative counterpart.

Seems I was right about the snake going for back up. Also, yeah I could see already how this episode was going to earn that warning at the beginning of it.

"I'm really stupid right now." I have never related to this man more. And damn I felt bad for him this episode. Dealing with intrusive thoughts and almost no sleep? Someone hug him. Character!Joan, climb out of your coffin, get over there and hug him!

Huh. The creative thoughts Thomas rejected. That's interesting. I doubted that you could make a whole character just out of intrusive thoughts, but those two concepts together work pretty well.

The whole initial argument between Thomas and The Duke feels weirdly meta considering what Joan has said about this episode.

Oooh, I've heard of the white bear experiments. Try it at home! Fun for the kids! Also, I think the fact that the subject of repression keeps being broached could be an interesting sign of where the story is going.

The Others are just Patton's problem children. Prove me wrong.

Can't say I agree with Thomas about creativity. By that logic, no one who ever writes, paints, or sings about anything negative is creative. And we sort of need that stuff, as a society. Given Logan lampshades Thomas's black and white thinking, my guess is that's going to be part of his arc going forward.

The Duke's eyes when he says “Demented” are amazing.

"That....is something Joan would do." I'm cackling.

Yeah, this dude's definitley more than a little reminiscent of our Prince...

There might come a point where the crew delves into it and makes it not funny anymore, but for now I find Logan's repeated dismissal of Thomas' s friends and family strangely hilarious for some reason.

You know, I was already getting sleazy agent vibes from Deceit, but that whole Taylor Swift pitch makes me see it in this guy too. Some one write that AU, please.

Thomas's philosophy about creativity is interesting. But just a little sad. Thomas is focused on making things that'll make other people happy. Making himself happy with his work doesn't seem to even occur to him.

Also, pleasant or not, that first metaphor didn't make any sense.

I'm loving all Virgil's little jabs throughout. Yeah, he knew this guy.

Does the Duke share his curse word with Roman? Now I'm picturing them each wishing each other a Merry Bitchmas.

And we have more of the Others jabbing at Virgil. Looks like that's not just a Deceit thing.

Interesting that Patton (and by extension, Thomas) defines "being a good person" as putting others before himself.

I love how absolutely unimpressed Logan is with The Duke throughout.

Oh my God. Does anybody know who those actors are? Because they deserve some commendation for that, the poor bastards.

The Duke's face when he says "large, sharp knife" is amazing.

"Not acting on every thought that he has isn't faking anything." Yes, thank you Logan.

"Ooh, how fun! You know who could help us with that?" "No! One of you is enough!" Oh my God, yes. I like how Thomas is sleep deprived and out of sorts and still manages a "No, this is all we're doing today, shut that shit down right now, Mister. Or I will turn this car around."

Interesting that Patton is so opposed to lying but has ongoing problems with repression.

Aw, Logan looking out for Thomas and getting the others to listen to him.

Thomas's religious influences were the elephant in the room that I wasn't sure they were going to point out. This is a really intriguing path we're going down, here.

The idea of thought "being a precursor" to action gives a fascinating new perspective on Thomas in general and on the events of S v. S in particular.

Is that why Logan started using "figuritively"? His dealings with the Duke?

Him giving his name away so quickly fits with the character’s impulsive nature. But of course he had to use it to dig at Virgil.

I LIVE for Logan's comments physically affecting Remus.

"S@#%!" Someone give this boy a nap.

Yeah, that screaming....that was definitley just like an intrusive thought.

As soon as they were checking if he was gone I knew exactly what was going to happen. Also, I love how Logan speaks like he's got a lot of experience dealing with this guy.

I also really love the boys see-sawing between genuine horror and just plain old exasperation at Remus's antics. Thomas: *sigh* Shut up.

I relate so much to that moving car thing. For me it's jumping off of high places. I never really thought of that as an intrusive thought, though. More like morbid curiosity. But it's popped up for so many years I'm kind of over it.

How great it is that as Logan describes Remus as a screaming child on a airplane the Side gets more immature and desperate for attention.

Good God I love Logan when he gets all quiet and gentle like this. It's always such a nice surprise considering how brusque he normally is.

Yay, personal growth for Patton.

Virgil's whole speech....! It sort of sounds like Joan speaking to their own intrusive thoughts through him. Which makes the whole thing that much more heartfelt.

Yay, Roman's back. And he's learned some things himself.

I think I'll have more to say about Logan in another post. In the meantime...

God that fun house mirror thing....I need to say more about Roman in another post too. Remus's existence has given us some really interesting insights into Roman.

Listening to the music while Virgil was talking I was actually thinking, "Holy shit, is he going to tell him?" And there we go. It's canon now, and god knows what's going to happen now that Thomas knows. In any case, the Others don’t have that to hang over Virgil’s head anymore.

Whelp, those are my thoughts for now. I have a post I’m cooking up dealing with character analysis in particular and episode analysis in general. Check it out!

[aboutlouishofmann]

A Life Devoted To Music

[Original interview here which is already in English. I'm just testing. All images curtesy of cinema.de]

FRIDAY, 7/5/2019

A LIFE DEVOTED TO MUSIC

In PRÉLUDE Louis Hofmann plays a talented pianist.

Rising star Louis Hofmann has often been seen at FILMFEST MÜNCHEN — for example, in the tender coming-of-age drama CENTER OF MY WORLD. By now, Hofmann is well-known all over Germany thanks to the captivating mystery series DARK. This makes us all the more delighted that this up-and-coming actor is returning to Munich this year with not one, but two exciting films. In PRÉLUDE, he plays a talented musician who experiences the downside of being an artist; and he also has a role in THE WHITE CROW, about Soviet ballet dancer Rudolf Nureyev. We met the amiable actor at the world premiere of PRÉLUDE and asked him about his own experiences as an artist and how life in the spotlight affects a person.

In PRÉLUDE, you play an aspiring pianist named David, a freshman at a conservatory who's under pressure from the beginning. What was it about this story that caught your interest?

In 2015, I was invited to a casting for PRÉLUDE. I think I'd read only a small blurb about it, but it won me over right away and I knew I absolutely had to play this part. I don't know whether I'd already seen WHIPLASH. I grew up around lots of music and have an affinity to it — and probably a fascination with sadness as well. I thought if the script fulfills the promise of that little blurb, I've got to be a part of things. Then I went to the first casting with director Sabrina Sarabi and we simply got along very well and I noticed that she does very fine work.

When did you finally shoot the film?

Two years ago. It was hard to get all the money that was necessary. It is just a small film, after all. I'm still glad that we made it even though we didn't have much money. Being so close on set was also great. On the first day of shooting, there were maybe 15 of us on the set. It took some getting used to, because I'd just come from DARK, where we'd had 100 to 150 people. That was our own little microcosm, and working with such a small team was something I enjoyed to the fullest.

Is that something you generally prefer: a smaller scale?

No. I just prefer good material.

What does good material consist of?

That's the question. There are only the standard responses: well-developed characters, a nice development of the role, a story that's exciting, not one that's narrated. David is somebody I can identify with to a good extent. He's sensitive. He has this great ambition that I carry within myself. When he does something, he jumps in wholeheartedly. That's also the approach I take to my own work. That's why I understood him right away.

You mentioned that music has always been very important to you. Do you play an instrument?

I played violin for a year, because my brother played violin. I stopped pretty soon after that. Then, at age eight or nine, I began to play the drums. I did that for eight years.

Do you still play?

I stopped when I moved from Cologne to Berlin. I didn't have a drum set there, nor did I have the infrastructure: a place to rehearse and so on. I didn't take it up again until this year. I rediscovered how awesome it is and how much I'd missed it — how I'd totally been caught up in the piano as well. I used to be able to play chords or three-finger accompaniment. Classical pieces, though, were pretty foreign to me. I somehow put in a lot of effort with a teacher, without being able to read music. We did it with videos. I think it helped me a little to be able to play the drums. But to learn a new instrument and suddenly understand how it works and to be familiar with the keyboard and to get into the groove when playing: that really did a lot for me. In addition, it was just extremely good preparation for the part. It made the character accessible to me, which is something I hadn't really expected.

How long did you practice?

After I got the role, we did two years of workshops. In the end, we had two-hour lessons, five days a week for three months, and then two to four more hours a day of practice.

That's a lot.

You're right. But it's great. At first it's so difficult. The first two weeks were so rough: you're really just searching for the notes; your fingers don't understand it all just yet. You feel like a dyslexic on the piano, just so amateurish. And suddenly after two or three weeks, your fingers start doing what they should. You follow the instrument, and it's simply awesome.

Are you still doing it?

Unfortunately not. No, because I can't read music and because I'd noticed that I get bored easily because I only ever play the same pieces. My roommates and I have a piano, and I play it sometimes, but not like before.

What kind of music do you listen to?

Mainly indie rock, indie pop, alternative. Sometimes soul classics, chansons, or jazz hip-hop.

Can you name two or three artists?

Two or three artists I can name... Somehow that's always pretty hard to do. Right now I'm really looking forward to the new Dope Lemon album that's coming out soon. As for indie pop, Bon Iver is one of my heroes. Parcels is great. I could go on forever. Music is a really important part of my life. I just immerse myself in it and discover new artists. It's a lot of fun.

There's this gotcha question that I once picked up from a job interview: If you were a song, what song would you be? That is, a song that describes you very well.

I have no idea. I think the songs we listen to speak to only part of ourselves. The first song I thought of is "8 (Circle)" by Bon Iver. But that's just my melancholy side. It wouldn't describe me completely, because I also have a non-melancholy side, a very happy side, that I wouldn't be doing justice to.

Now that you've had a brief look at the life of a musician, even indirectly, what would you say is similar to or different from the life of an actor?

The pressure is what they have in common. The expectations one has of oneself. The competition. Although I have to say we're a generation, I think, who fight more alongside each other than against each other. For a pianist, it's a more individual fight than for an actor, because as an actor you normally don't perform alone.

In the film, David has to put his personal life on the back burner in order to get somewhere as a musician. Since you said that you enjoy immersing yourself, to what extent do you find yourself having to put your personal life on the back burner?

Since the work always comes in phases, you only have to do that in phases. And then I do that. In recent years, I've also learned that you can't completely separate the two — that the project phases should intersect more with the phases of free time. I've always felt that I've completely forgone personal life while working, up until the end of shooting. At some point, I no longer thought that was a good thing. In this line of work, you have to watch out, otherwise you'll start thinking of the year only in terms of blocks of time. I've resolved to be aware of this for more than a whole year again. Theater actors can probably do that a lot better, because they have regular work. They're able to balance their personal lives and their work more easily. That's a small obstacle that a film actor has to overcome at some point.

Let's assume you have free time. What do you do to unwind after work?

I had a hard time of that in Berlin. But this year, I went back to some old hobbies, like the drums. Also skateboarding, climbing, bouldering, and so on, to find balance. It's just about doing something that no one judges and where there's no output. Where you're not forced to deliver output. Because all you do when playing is give, give, give. You learn something, too, of course, and it gives you something back. But it's very relaxing to just do something that no one is appraising.

And where you're not being watched.

That, too, yes.

How often does it happen nowadays that you're recognized out on the street?

Sometimes. Occasionally. There are days when nothing happens, and other days when it happens several times. It also depends on whether I'm in a bar or another place where people gather.

Imagine that for some reason you had to do something other than act.

What would I do?

Exactly.

Hm. That's difficult.

Did you always want to be an actor, or were there alternatives?

A soccer player, of course. I definitely wanted to be a soccer player. When I finished high school, I was also very interested in psychology — and art. But I don't believe that I'd study art or psychology, even though I was still saying that two or three years ago. I also have a lot of fun working behind the camera, and I've been a set manager for short films. I enjoy organizing a set in the extreme, because I also have experience in how these things work. I'd probably still prefer to stay in the world of film and then maybe try to develop material or help to see it realized.

So you could also imagine directing and scriptwriting?

Probably not scriptwriting. I'm more the kind of person who reads the script and says, "Oh, that's what happens. I think it'd be great if this and that also happened." I don't think I could write a story myself. I have a lot of respect for those who can.

What else are you up to next?

On Monday, we started filming the third season of DARK, so I'll just do that for now. That'll probably take another six months. After that, we'll be done. The series was planned as a trilogy from the beginning, so the story will conclude with the third season.

That's all from me. In closing, do you have any more comments you'd like to make about your film?

I think Sabrina is very talented, and I'm very proud of this film and hope that people will see it.

[sunmisgirl]

NCT 127 Reaction to Catching S/O Jamming to Their Songs

Taeil:

You remember when Taeil was nervous about their comeback with “Simon Says”. The sound was completely experimental and he feared it wouldn’t receive positive feedback. You reassured him that this comeback would be a success (it obviously was) and months later still dance to the song. It currently plays from your Bose speakers and reaches its best part: Haechan’s vocals followed by Taeil’s. You lip-sync his high note and continue dancing to the song, trying to nail the choreography to the best of your abilities. Taeil smiles amusedly at your efforts and is glad he has your constant support for his music.

Johnny:

You're sleeping soundly until you get an early call from Johnny saying he's stopping by a café first to bring you breakfast. You mumble out an incoherent response and hang up trying to catch a few extra minutes of sleep. Ten minutes later, your alarm clock blares out the tune of "Cherry Bomb". You groan and shove your head under the pillow knowing it's no use going back to sleep.

Going through your morning routine, the song stays stuck in your head and you can't help singing softly. Minutes later, you're doing the entire choreography in your pajamas. Johnny opens your front door and catches you doing the move to Cherry Bomb (yeah THAT move). He wants to laugh so badly but holds it in so you don't notice his presence. You know you didn't exactly execute the move correctly, but you don't care because it's all for fun anyways. Once the song finishes, he starts clapping and cheering loudly which makes you jump. You sigh in relief once your heart beat stabilizes and punch him in the arm for scaring you.

Taeyong:

Taeyong had to stay behind at SM to do more recordings for the upcoming album. You consider this an advantage and start cleaning up your closet with Spotify playing in the background. A few songs play but don’t capture your attention because you’re too busy contemplating between donating some sweatshirts or jeans. Suddenly, “Whiplash” starts playing and you audibly gasp because that. is. your. BOP. 

You fling your sweatshirts and jeans aside and do a full-on impromptu performance in front of the mirror. The music completely consumes your senses as you dance around the room yelling, “Long ass ride!” You don’t make it through the entire song though because Taeyong comes home curious to the music playing from your room and stands there in stunned silence. You acknowledge his shocked expression and simply shrug, “It’s a certified bop, Tae.” 

Yuta:

Yuta has been practicing a lot the past two weeks in preparation for their upcoming tour dates. After his rehearsal from today, he races to your place because he finds comfort in your presence (and you have a comfy couch but he won’t dare admit that). You happily welcome him and prepare some snacks in the kitchen before walking back over to the living room and seeing him sound asleep on your couch. Smiling at his peaceful face, you search for a spare blanket and place it over him before returning to your room. 

Taking advantage of the silence, you bound to your desk and try completing some assignments with your playlist on shuffle. “Chain” plays out of nowhere and it takes everything in you not to scream and grab Yuta to beg him for more dance lessons. To avoid waking him up from his slumber, you softly sing along while jotting down some notes. Yuta stirs awake at the music and peers over at you from the couch, smiling to himself hearing your attempts to sing in Japanese.

Doyoung:

Today was an incredibly long day and all you wanted to do was unwind with some music and snacks. You hate to admit it, but you've been missing Doyoung a lot lately. Scrolling through your endless playlist, you plop down on the couch and finally settle on "Sun & Moon" because you love the tenderness of his voice in this specific track. You start singing along and eventually the stresses from your day melt away. Little did you know, Doyoung planned to surprise you at your place and enters through the front door listening to you sing his lines. He silently admires you from afar to avoid disturbing your jam session.

Jaehyun:

Jaehyun invites you to the set of a photoshoot for NCT. He promises to spend the rest of the day with you if you wait around for him.  Of course you said yes. Who can resist those dimples? Patiently waiting for the shoot to end, you stroll around in the back listening to “Touch”. You can’t help but start mimicking the moves to yourself without calling too much attention. You’re in your own little world until you lock eyes with Jaehyun and realize he saw the entire thing. Cringing to yourself, you pull out your earbuds and tuck them away in your jacket pocket. He grins at you while his hair and makeup get retouches and laughs, “Well don’t stop now because of me!”

Winwin:

Sicheng loves how much you support him and NCT. You constantly praise the group and enthusiastically list off your favorite songs every time 127 invites you out for dinner. That night, you had a little too much of Mark’s “apple juice” so Sicheng decides to drive you home. Helping you enter the front door, you gasp dramatically and utter, “You look just like my boyfriend Sicheng. He’s in an amazing group called NCT 127. Look! Let me show you my favorite song.” 

You mildly stumble over to your laptop where Spotify is already open from your previous listening session and play “Limitless”. Swearing you are the coolest person on the earth, you start busting out moves and singing along like you’re a part of the music video. He shamelessly records you on his phone from his seat, but you don’t even notice because you’re too involved in the music. Whenever he is away doing promotions and misses you, he pulls up the video and smiles to himself thinking how lucky he is to have a goofball like you in his life.

Jungwoo:

You wanted to surprise Jungwoo by waiting for him in the practice room. You catch up with social media and watch some Youtube videos to kill time. You decide to watch “Regular” and try practicing some of the moves on your own. Might as well use this opportunity of the spacious practice room! Focusing hard on mastering the dance, you don’t even realize much time has passed. After practicing a couple more times, you lay on the floor covered in light sweat and huff out tiredly. 

Jungwoo suddenly appears from above with a surprised and confused look. You sit up and accept the water bottle in his hand. “What are you doing here?” he questions with a slight chuckle. “I was waiting around for you and then kinda got distracted trying to kill time. How did you manage to learn the previous dances for 127 and Regular in such a short time?” He playfully shrugs his shoulders and replies, “It was so easy!”

Mark:

Your relationship with Mark is fun and super light-hearted. However, you refuse to let him see your terrible dance moves when he's a literal dancing machine. The man puts you to shame whenever you see him practicing for a comeback. Your latest guilty pleasure is NCT 127's collab with Lay and Jason Derulo. Since Mark isn't home, you turn up the speakers and blast the song through your apartment while letting loose.

However, Mark arrives shortly and witnesses your chaotic dancing and singing. He can't help letting out a laugh and you turn around mortified. "Wow you're really loving the collab, babe," he teases with a smirk. You love teasing Mark back and decide to turn the tables on him. Singing louder than before and moving your body all around, you belt out, "Jamaican girls wanna blow it down. My Asian girls wanna work it out. Turn around, don't talk-". He stares at you in shock and gets all shy before cutting you off, "Okayyyyy time to go grab some dinner!" He turns off the speakers and drags you out the front door hoping you'll stop singing once you're both outside.

Haechan:

Haechan begged you for a karaoke night for weeks so you finally cave in and promise to go out tonight. Doing your usual routine, you pick out your best clothes and mildly dance or sing along to whatever song plays from your phone on the nightstand. “Good Thing” comes on and that puts you in the perfect mood. Styling your hair proves to be difficult because you can’t stop grooving to the music. 

You finally finish getting ready for the date and pretend to sing in the mirror using your brush handle. As the song ends, you strike a dramatic pose and see Haechan silently judging you in the doorway from the reflection in the mirror. “I hope you stay this happy when I score higher than you during karaoke,” he taunts in your direction. You spin around and raise an eyebrow, “Challenge accepted, babe.”

[heesgf]

bad boy! byounggon

a long but cute and fluffy bad boy bullet scenario :’))) pls read

this is my bullet scenario debut so im rlly gonna try and make it pop let’s get it

OK SO mr byounggon is a little bit of a bad boy, mostly because he’s not super loud, and he doesn’t necessarily make his presence known all the time... so he’s kinda just ,,, in quiet disapproval of everything

u could be laughing rlly loud with ur friends and being rlly obnoxious in the hallway but when he walks by ur kinda like.. O shit be quiet!!!212!!... bc ur not tryna have him roll his eyes at u (bc he will)

I think he’s partially so reserved bc ppl dont talk to him bc they’re scared,,, but bby just thinks ppl dont like him so he’s a lil :’((( about it

Lowkey but highkey everybody thinks he’s rlly hot!! One time a girl tried to impress him by vaping in his face and he was just like... bitch Tf... ಠ_ಠ... pls step away

He’s ALWAYS late to class bc he’s polishing the handles of his motorcycle and somehow none of the teachers are bothered

He’ll just pop in like 30 minutes into class, in the middle of a class discussion about why technology is ruining the planet; the teacher will give one look, smile at him, and then it’s all chill & dandy

Which is fucking RUDE bc one time u were late to class bc u got the RUNS at the end of P.E.,,,, and she was merciless!! She hit u with the “30,000 word essay due tonight” bitch!!!

Injustice™

So he’s late for the 3904390th time one day, and you’re super mad!! The second he walks in you feel urself fuming, and u turn to ur friend Junkyu who’s already giving u the 👀

Ur SO MAD u start going off,,, and ur like “that fucking jerk he’s always late and ms. johnson doesn’t give a single fuck... in FACT ! she loves his ass. This isn’t fair, honestly im gonna bring this to the principal”

And junkyu’s just cackling away bc ur doing The Most right now, and honestly ur kinda loud, so ppl just are looking @ u like “ .....? ...? are u ok ?? ?”

The answer is no

So ur talking ur shit storm all the way thru your teacher’s instructions, and she introduces a partner project (#cliche am i right)

Junkyu’s already grasping ur hands bc ur his ride or die

But before y’all can start giggling in harmony bc best friends forever, Ms. johnson gives u this rlly fat smirk, and she’s like “hehe... im making partners”

Thats when ur soul dies bc u happen to have the Worst Luck when it comes to partner assignments

Ur always partnered with that one dude that excuses himself to go to the bathroom, but then just vapes outside for 46 minutes,,, and u have to do the WHOLE thing urself,,, and ms johnson just bats her eyelashes and gives u one of these :-) “is there an issue?” and ur just like “:/// no im ok”

(ur not ok)

THIS TIME she’s looking around the classroom, and she starts pairing ppl up

When she pairs junkyu up with this other girl u feel like ur about to have a stroke,,, he gives u a sad lil frown and now ur in ur #feels

Suddenly ms Johnson points right @ you and she’s like “YOU!”

And right at that moment, mr byounggon gets up so he can go polish his bike handles for the 89th time this morning

And she’s like “(y/n) and byounggon, u guys are partners”

Ur like :o

He’s like :o

Ms. johnson’s like XD lolz :P!!!

Junkyu squeezes ur hand one last time, and he’s like “pls dont kick his ass plz, u don’t have the arm strength”

And ur like “PLS~~~~he might LOOK tough but he’s probably a rlly lame loser....” and then junkyu scurries away to another table group

Byounggon walks toward u

And as he’s walking ur crossing ur arms, and mumbling under ur breath, ‘god why ME, WHY’

Ur interrupted from ur sad hour bc byounggon yanks the chair across from u and finally sits his ass down,,,,

He’s looking outside the window,, probably @ his bike, honestly they’re a ship, #byounggbike

U kinda just look at him, absorb everything,, ur like “o dam... he DOES look tough”

His hair is jet black and messy but somehow perfect? He’s got this silver cross earring that dangles down from one ear, and when he lifts his hand to scratch his face, u notice the silver rings on his hands... and ur like... hmm kinda sexy...

Ur in ur own world, just staring at his VRY plump lips that are literally the perfect colour... no lip products needed damn

And the longer u stare, u realize his eyes are kinda sparkly? And his teeth are perfect? And he as a rlly cute long neck

In the middle of ur trance, byounggon’s so confused, honestly a little bit offended, bc ur just staring at him with ur eyebrows knitted, rlly intently, like ur analyzing him

He narrows his eyes and he’s like “what!”

U kinda jump in ur seat and ur like shit fUCK, he must be so weirded out by me rn (he is)

Ur mouth is agape, and u dont rlly know what to say, so u DONT SAY ANYTHING

And that makes him MORE frustrated

He’s like “WHAT are u looking at!”

And ur like

“SFOSJDFIOS... ur eyes are rlly pretty!”

For a second he thinks ur joking

But u look at him so expectantly, and ur cheeks are FLUSHED, so he thinks u might be serious; ur heart is beating 3430430 miles per hour, and u gulp,

But listen -- u HAD to say it-- bc ur mama taught u to give compliments when u think them! She’s a nice lady

Anyways back to the story

Ur definitely about to go into cardiac arrest

And ms johnson’s just sitting behind her desk like 👀🍵

Byounggon’s quiet for a moment

And for a Hot Second™ u think ur about to get ur ass BEAT (not physically, but verbally ;))

But then u notice the tops of his ears are turning a rlly deep red, and he averts his eyes downward

He mumbles a rlly rlly rlly quiet “ .. thanks”; and he says it so fast u almost miss it, but he sAID IT!

Then it’s quiet again and the level of awkward is so intense u want 2 die

Junkyu looks over to you from his table and he’s thinking ‘shit some real shady business must have gone down bc they wont even LOOK @ each other”

Little does he know.....

So u clear ur throat suddenly like “AHEM ok,,, we should probably work on this”

And he’s like “aight”

he seems so tough when he says things like that, but he was such a shy boy two seconds ago

So you guys get started

And it’s basically a project where you introduce the other person to the class with a video... so u rlly gotta get to know each other, and bond and all that cute stuff

And u already KNOOOOO if u dont do well, ur gonna face ms. johnson’s wrath, so ur really invested in doing a good job

And as an added BONUS!!! Ms. johnson says the group that does the best job on the project doesn’t need to take part in the final exam

And ur like BOOOOOYAHH!!! Bc final exams always fuck u over, and u go down like 5% just bc u momentarily lose ur mind and suffer

So ur #dedicated

In this beginning, byounggon rlly doesn’t open up that much, and ur genuinely concerned because it seems like ur going to be making a five minute video about how much he loves his bike (hint: A LOT)

But then u make a rule!! Ur like “hehe... no more bike talk.. Okay?”

And that’s when the Good Stuff comes out

You learn all this wild shit about byounggon

U go down the list of questions miss johnson gave ya’ll and you’re learning all about how  how he likes writing songs, and composing music, and for some weird reason, he rlly likes bowling

Then ur like “whats ur fav body part”

He looks @ u rlly funny, and he’s kinda chuckling, giving u the “uhh are u sure that’s a question, or are u just curious?”

Ur FLABBERGASTED

You shove the paper in his face and you point at the question like a crazy person and he puts his hands up and he’s like “DAMN ok i get it”

Ur not rlly mad tho... homeboy’s got #jokes

He forces a smile, and then he juts out his finger at his cheek

And he’s like

“I like my Dimple.. It’s pretty impressive tbh”

U kinda just wanna bug him so ur like “mmm nah i dont think it’s all that impressive... not that cute” (ITS RLLY THAT CUTE THO)

He pretends to be rlly offended, and he sticks his tongue out and kinda bites it

Like tHIS:

Mr byounggon is NOT having ur sass today !

Ur trying to keep a straight face but FUCK he looks rlly hot in this moment, and suddenly, ur thinking... “fav body part.... Every part!”

He laughs it off, and he’s like, “nah dude, u have to see it in The Moment! That’s when you’ll respect The Dimple”

U deadpan at him bc.... LMFAO did he rlly just say “respect The Dimple”

Yes queen he did

U guys continue like this for a while, until the bell rings, and after, he scratches the back of his neck, and he’s struggling to make eye contact

When he looks like this, u rlly start to wonder how ppl could think he ever looked intimidating,,, bc GOD when his cheeks are a light shade of pink, and his eyes are wandering, and his hands are shaky, he looks so frickin CUTE

He’s like... “so u want start filming @ ....atmyhouselater...?”

Ur like w o t did u just say sir

And he’s like: “do u want to start filmingatmyhouselater!!!”

The classroom is loud bc ppl are shuffling outside, and he’s talking so fast, and honestly, ur just distracted by the hair that’s shifting in and out of his eyes... sparkly eyes... ANYWAYS

Ur like... “byounggon... pls enunciate” !!!

FINALLY,,, smoothly and clearly,,, he says “wanna start filming at my place later?”

And ur shook

But SO EXCITED

Bc u’ll see the Home of Byounggon

Ur like “hehe... yeES”

And then he’s like “ok cool” and fucking BLASTS OUT THAT CLASSROOM LIKE NO TOMORROW

For a second ur kinda shook bc damn.... Does he not have whiplash???

U turn around and u have this fucking goofy smile on ur face

Junkyu slowly walks up to and he’s like “... is it just me, or do you look happy after talking to... byounggon?”

U look @ him in distaste

“It’s just u bitch!”

He can’t know... . ... . . YET.

***TIME SKIP BBY*****

During lunch, u spilled to Junkyu about all the shit that went down with byounggon, and how u were feeling kinda gushy

When u told him u were gonna go to byounggon’s after school, he lost his damn mind

He was like: “take pictures and send them to me PLZ”

U were like: “TF NO!.... hehe ok maybe”

After school, u give junkyu a fat hug bc he’s a cuddly koala bear, and he wishes you good luck!! Then u run to ur locker and try and act cool

Byounggon pops into the hallway a few seconds later, and he raises his eyebrows @ u, and gestures toward the door

U try not to RUN over to him, and restrict urself to a respectable speed walk

He kinda chuckles bc ur .... cute.

U guys both walk outside and ur anticipating his mom to kinda just appear and drive u both to his place,,

No bitch

That’s not happening

U guys walk out to the side of the school, and u see the world famous #byounggbike

He shoots you a thumbs up and he’s like “mm ok so just hop on!”

Ur like

“Ha a ha .. wh at?”

He smirks all cocky, and he’s like “what? You’ve never rode a motorcycle before or something?”

Ur like. “HA! Whaaaaaaat? Of COURSE i ride motorcycles... in fact, i ride them... . . allllways...”

And he’ s like .......... ok shutup and get on

So u pop ur cute butt onto the seat, and he gets on, and he’s like: “okay, make sure u hold on rlly tight, ok? It can be dangerous”

U kinda scoff bc damn... he’s doing The Most rn isn’t he? So ur all like “PSSHHHTT... i dont even need to im a natural--”

And suddently u dont even have time to let out a breath bc homebody just GOES

IMMEDIATELY u latch ur arms around his waist and ur shutting ur eyes rlly tightly and screaming like “WTF HOW COULD U DO THAT WITHOUT A WARNING”

When he slows down @ the red light, u can FEEL his smirk from the backseat, and he’s like “o well u said ur a pro so i just... went?”

U want to smack his stupid mouth,,, but also,,,, k*ss his stupid mouth

Honestly byounggon was right

When u see The Dimple in the moment,,,, u really fall for it

The ride from then on is mostly smooth, and now ur kinda relaxed, so u just feel the breeze flying threw ur hair

U lose ur hair tie but its ok

Bc u do that everywhere

Ur sort of just enjoying the moment, and honestly it’s kinda peaceful??? U kinda like #byounggbike... now u guys are a ship... #(y/n)bike

Byounggon notices ur vibing with his bike, and it makes him smile rlly wide

At one of the stop lights, he looks at you in his peripheral vision and ur laughing and in ur own lil world

Ur so cute

He likes it so much

He starts riding again, and then just to keep u on ur toes, the boy SWERVES on the road a little bit and ur like “FUCKING STOP DOING THAT ILL KILL U”

And he’s LAUHGIGN so hard, and the laugh is deep, and it vibrates through his whole body

U feel it when ur arms are wrapped around him

and there’s this devilish look in his eyes

It’s really fucking cute

But u wont tell him that.

U guys finally arrive at The House of Byounggon, and you rush into his place bc damn... it’s cold outside! And he’s wearing a sleeveless black top AHHHHHHHHHHHH bicep palooza

U guys get warm inside!!!! And u meet his mom!!! The cutest woman in the entire world!!! And she brings you guys carrots and celery as u work

You ask more questions, and you learn about byounggon’s friends: seunghun, yedam, mashiho, hyunsuk

He shows u pics!!! Damn they’re literally all cute

Hot Squad

U tell byounggon u like to bake, so he comes up with a brilliant idea

He’s like “oh!!!! My mom’s about to make some cherry pie, make i can film u helping her out or smthh for the video”

U guys pile into the kitchen to help his mom, but she’s got the TEA!!!!! She’s like “hehe kids, i’ll be right back i need to do... something.....(y/n) knead this dough while im gone”

She YEETS tf outta there!!! And she’s nowhere to be found for a suspiciously long amount of time... hmmmm

Byounggon films u kneading the dough, but honestly, u dont know what tf ur doing

When u said u liked baking,,, u meant like...box cake

Ur playing with the dough like it’s a slime video, and byounggon is laughing his fucking head off while u just suffer

“Ur doing a rlly good job” he says with his mouth full of cherries

Ur about to tell him tf off for eating ur ingredients when ur hair falls out ur hair tie and it’s all over ur damn face

Byounggon’s like.... O shit

And ur like..... He LP

He comes to ur rescue

“What..... do i do”

U tell him to take the hair tie off the ground, and grab ur hair into a ponytail

His hands are so tentative, honestly a lil shaky, and for a brief second, he skims the skin of ur neck with his fingers

Ur body: shook

U have shivers all over and he bounces AWAY FROM U and he’s like “i- im sorry it was an accident”

Ur like... chill tf out brother... it’s cool

He comes back, ties ur hair into the ugliest side ponytail u ever saw, and u guys continue filming

“U made me look so ugly byounggon ur shady af” ur whining to him as u guys watch the clips back

Byounggon gasps!!! He’s like !!! “u did that urself!”

Then u wanted to kill him bc... did this bitch just call u ugly

U laugh and hit his shoulder!! And he’s like “nah im playing u always look cute”

IT COULD’VE BEEN AWKWARD

But u play it cool!!! And u smile at him, and he smiles at u

Then ur like

“Hey can i tell u a secret?”

“... what?”

“Honestly, ur not as bad as ppl make u seem”

He looks @ u with the stupidest smile but he knits his brows and he’s like GEE thank u (y/n), that is so kind of u!!! Ur so kind!!!

And ur like “NOOO hear me out, okay? You’re really nice, and smart, and sweet, and cute.. Ur rlly not as tough as u look....”

He’s kinda hurt, and he puffs his chest out, and kinda pouts

“Im tough.....”

U guys both just laugh

Moments like this continue for the next two weeks as you guys work on ur projects

Somehow byounggon convinces you to go bowling???

You finally go!!! and surprisingly, you beAT HIS ASS SO GOOD???~~~~ for someone that talked such mad shit about his skills,,,, ur rlly thought he’d do well

He got like.... 64 points

U got 107

He BEGGED u not to put that in the video!!!!!!!! Like so so so so badly!!! He offered to give you a ride home on #byounggbike everyday

U told him u wouldn’t put in it

And then the day of, when it popped up in front of the whole class, u were like SIKE BITCH I PUT THAT SHIT IN ANYWAYS!

He was choked up ! but dw he was ok

The whole time the video is playing, u guys are smiling at each other

Junkyu’s looking at u both with the most incredulous look on his face and he’s like... “am i interrupting something, here?”

“Shhhhhh.... Im looking at The Dimple”

“W h  a  t”

When ms johnson announces that u and byounggon had the best project, u just about pop out of ur seat, and u run ALL the way to byounggon, and u wrap ur arms around his neck, and u swing a lil bit off ur feet

He’s smiling so hard, The Dimple is #out, and the rumbling of his chest makes ur heart flutter

In that moment of excitement, u feel really bold, and u lurch forward and just plant the sweetest little kiss on byounggon’s cheek

He kinda does the :o

For a second, ur like... fuck SHIT,, i just fucked all the shit up

But then byounggon looks down at u

And he’s 4290290% heart eyes

He crouches into your ear, and he’s like, “hey can i tell u a secret?”

Ur nodding ur head like ur in a fucking trance

“I like you, (y/n)”

“I like u too, byounggon”

You guys are both smiling, junkyu’s gagging in the corner, ms johnson is loving every minute of this

U force urself on ur tippy toes, look into this sparkly eyes, and u crash ur lips onto his

His lips are soft and sweet, like strawberries

And when u pull away, he’s just as red as one too

While everyone else spends the next couple days studying for the final exam, you and byounggon are straight chillin

U guys spend ur time at the House of Byounggon, kissing the days away, and eating the carrots his mom provides for u both<333333333333

No bowling tho yikes :/// he’s scarred for life

thank u for reading and i LOVE U pls follow me im new

thank u guys for reading if u did!!!!! im a new ygtb blog <33 i plan on writing here and there, but im super dedicated rn bc there’s such little content. also, pls reach out to me, i want some friends <3 ok bye

[xheartsigh]

Handful of love

taegi oneshot, 2k, fluff

Just something short but sweet for Gina (@wortmalerei), a very supportive and amazing friend of mine. I feel really lucky that I got to know you this year because I really feel like I can talk about anything with you, be it politics or ships and I’m really glad you bring new horizons into my life. I hope you spend your holidays feeling loved. I wish you a merry Christmas with thisTaegi fic that’s based on our shared love for the Daegu boys hand holding ♥

It all started in Hawaii.

Okay, maybe not 'all' but it mostly started because of Hawaii.

Of course, they held hands way before Bon Voyage too: occasionally, accidentally, without any of them noticing. It wasn't anything special, like Taehyung helping him onto his feet after an exhausting dance practice, hands sweaty but nice, a simple friendly gesture.

However, it started getting out of hand (in the most literate sense ever) after he carelessly exclaimed in the beginning of their bonding trip that whenever they disagreed, the would hold hands. So the act was inevitable because they had quite a lot of disagreements over the years, this month or even the week before. Their personalities were just too different: Taehyung was soft and warm and loud where Yoongi was harsh and cold and quiet. Not once he snapped at the younger for being so bubbly, tossed him away when he was being unnecessarily touchy or told him straight away that being born in Daegu didn't make them brothers. (Bangtan did.) They weren't on bad terms per se, luckily nobody in the group was. Yet, there was this transparent but solid wall between them ever since their debut days.

Yoongi remembers well the young Taehyung who came from the countryside with bright eyes when he was first introduced as a trainee. He remembers how the boy liked to cling onto him, following his trail everywhere after he found out they are from the same province. Like it changed anything, Yoongi would snort but he got it, he really did. The slur, the familiar dialect, the words he hadn't heard ever since he came to Seoul, it all reminded him of home. Taehyung reminded him of home.

But he didn't come to the capital from there to make friends, he was there to make music, to debut, to make his dreams come true, not to babysit a kid so he might have told Taehyung to hang out with the maknaes instead and don't bother him. Taehyung didn't listen, not at first but he was a good dongsaeng and with time he came to respect his request. He quickly befriended Jimin and opened up Jungkook's shell so the boys both were quite fond of him. It was hard not to.

"He has this kind of innocent brightness. Like Hosoek-ah. I hope he won't lose that," Jin, one of the older guys in the company told him and Yoongi hummed, still munching on the chicken they were eating, busy acting like he didn't care.

After debut not much changed in their relationship, if not that now they were co-workers and slept in one room. But with seven of them it wasn't that hard to keep distance. It wasn't awkward or a bad thing. They were still friends, just not as close as others and it was okay. Or so did Yoongi told himself.

He was professional enough to not let anything like this get between their work ethic. He loved Taehyung's deep, rusty voice, it was beautiful in its own league, soft as velvet, rich as honey and expensive as silk. Let Me Know was an untold ode to compliment his voice but it had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that Yoongi had heard him crying in the bathroom.

"They like me for my face, not my voice. I'm only here because of my looks..." he sobbed without ease and there was a painful pang Yoongi’s heart on the other side of the door.

"That's not true," Jimin soothed him but the worry was clearly written on the younger's face for a long time.

So when Yoongi asked him to do vocal check with him, Taehyung only gaped at him.

"Me? Not Jiminnie or Jungkookie?"

The rapper was almost annoyed, he didn't ask him to come here just to play dumb. Joking around with music wasn’t his habit.

"It has to be you. It's... it's written for a lower vocal range... like yours," he explained with a sigh and at that Taehyung's face brightened like Christmas lights.

So yeah, they aren't strangers, nor they hate each other but holding hands on purpose never really occurred to them before. But ever since Bon Voyage aired, people started pointing it out and it’s not just them seeing things.

The more their palms slot together in their own imperfectly perfect way, the more Yoongi is thinking about it. The texture of Taehyung's palm is now carved into the back of his mind. Every curve, the soft edges, his lifeline, the veins on the back of his hand. Yoongi could have said hand holding helps him relieve stress, however, he doesn't hold anybody's but Taehyung's so it would be a blatant lie.

Destiny must enjoy this way too much because she brings them together in the same team repeatedly whenever they are on camera. It's now a laughing matter if they end up together in the newest Run BTS episode because, of course, the boys won't ever let them live but it isn't the teasing, it isn't the stubbornness, it's merely for the sake of it when Yoongi unceremoniously grabs Taehyung's hand without an ounce of hesitation. He has grown to love holding the younger's hand and the two of them got so used to it, they take each other’s hands when they stand close without thinking. It became an instinct.

However, the way Taehyung flushes dust pink every single time is something Yoongi finds rather interesting (and cute but he would never say that aloud). As far as he knows Taehyung doesn't oppose skinship, in fact he likes to drape himself all over others. So why is it different?

But Taehyung could ask the same thing: what changed? Now that it's Yoongi who initiates skinship, always holding his hand so goddamn gentle like he doesn't ever want to let go?

It must have been unconscious, how the thing they do in front of the cameras sweeps off-camera too. Like Yoongi reaching for his hand whenever he wants to ask something or when they are watching movies side by side more often than not Yoongi sleeping in halfway through. It isn't that Taehyung minds because he really doesn't but it confuses him. What changed? He finds himself wondering from time to time again.

Once, when he keeps repeatedly ringing the bell of the Genius Lab just to find out the door isn’t locked, he steps into Yoongi’s holy territory cautiously.

"Hyung..." he clears his throat and the door shuts closed behind him with a loud thud, luckily so because that’s probably the only thing that’s able to snap the producer out of this zone he often gets into.

"Ah Tae..." Yoongi looks up from his computer and turns around to find him there startled. "Good thing you are here, I need a second opinion. How does this sound?"

Taehyung is ready to protest when he’s rushed closer since he only came because Jin told him to. The eldest asked him to check on the studio on his way back to the dorm and drag home that bastard who put his phone on silent and didn't answer any texts or calls. The house must be burning or Namjoon might broke another door handle if he needs Yoongi so bad. But okay, listening to one melody can't hurt.

Unless Yoongi yanks him closer by the hand to put the headphone over his ears and play the song, a piano one, as he absentmindedly plays with his fingers too while clicking from one file to another.

"Hyung..." he prompts carefully but Yoongi only hums. When the younger doesn't answer, the older guy turns around only to see him looking down at their mindlessly interlaced fingers. Yoongi's hand flinches on instinct, pulling away in a knee-jerk reaction like the contact burnt him and Taehyung looks up at him with wide caramel eyes, hurt, a deer caught in the headlights.

"Sorry," Yoongi apologizes, his gaze shifting anywhere but the younger's face. It's confusing, all these feeling inside of him, the burning want to touch and hold and caress.

"No... Don't be," Taehyung shakes his head, voice cracked and Yoongi furrows his brows. "Just don't give me false hope, hyung."

"What?" Yoongi's head snaps towards him so fast he's sure he got a mild whiplash. Taehyung wears a sad smile, one he would do for music videos and heartbroken roles but this one, it's honest and it shatters the rapper's heart into pieces just by seeing it.

"The melody is great by the way, dreamy, but Jin hyung wants you home, no objections," the vocalist says and leaves as quick as he came not even giving Yoongi a chance to react. But what could he have said anyway?

Maybe that's when he starts to realize those tiny things about Taehyung. The more he catches himself staring longer than he should, the more he actually sees under the surface of that always smiley face of Taehyung. And it's not just that now he wears Gucci instead of retailored stuff or that his jawline became more defined over the years. No, he really matured while keeping that childish light in him that Yoongi admired. But it's not the only thing he realizes by watching Taehyung a lot. He comes to the conclusion quite soon that the younger watches him too. The lingering glances through the mirror of the dance practice room or when they bump into each other in the dorm leaves tingling, electrifying sparks in their veins.

Days, even weeks pass and yet, he can't forget about what Taehyung said to him that day, it keeps him awake sometimes and on those nights it's hard to fight the urge to cuddle with the sleeping boy just to hold his hand. This yearning never ceases no matter his efforts and some days he just wants to say, fuck it, and give into the pull that keeps calling him towards the boy who appears in his dreams more and more nowadays. It's all innocent: just lying down, laughing, hugging, kissing and of course, hand holding.

When it happens, it isn't planned. It's just one of those nights when sleeping doesn't come easy and Yoongi shuffles out of his shared room with Jin to get a glass of water only to find Taehyung already in the kitchen, sitting on the counter and eating the left-over muffins his mother sent. He looks so shocked, caught red-handed for a moment but visibly relaxes when the older doesn't make any remarks on his behaviour and he resumes on chewing.

Yoongi can't help but wonder how he could look so good in his weird fashionista PJs, with messy hair. Pink coloring his pale cheeks he turns to fill his cup with water.

“Can't sleep?” he coughs and then feels the urge to facepalms himself immediately because he has always been terrible at small talks.

“Ah yeah, just thinking too much,” Tae answers behind him and the rapper doesn't dare to ask him about what. Or should he? He holds his cup so aggressively, his knuckles are turning white and even the refreshing water can't make the swell of his heart better. “And you?”

“The same, I guess. Something keeps bugging me lately,” he admits and the younger is actually braver than him being so straightforward when he asks the question he should have:

“What?” he mumbles and Yoongi puts the glass down, finally turning around to face him again. Taehyung is looking at him through his lashes, expectantly and a smirk tugs Yoongis mouth at that.

“About something you said,” he shrugs casually walking straight up to the sitting boy who is even more taller like this and it gives him an idea. "Give me that," he points at Taehyung's right hand that has crumbs on it so he wipes it down in his sweatpants but complies. It's a bit sweaty but the warmth of it feels so good.

"Now the other one," Yoongi demands and when he has both hands in his, he pulls Tae closer by them and eventually drags him down from the kitchen counter. He's too tall for that anyway. "Who said you it's false hope?"

It's not perfect: their noses bump into each other, the angle is awkward at first but Taehyung tastes sweet like those desserts he just had and the way he melts into him so gentle and pliant under his touch, Yoongi thinks he found the next best thing after holding hands with Taehyung: kissing with him.

[sorrelchestnut]

2017 Fic in Review

Tagged by the wonderful @solas-you-nerd​, which is great because I find this sort of thing fascinating.  I decided to separate this into two sections, AO3 stats and ~author opinions.~  And to be fair and equitable, I've left Cry Havoc out of the stats section, since as a long-term WIP a lot of its numbers came from well before 2017, and shouldn't be counted.

STATISTICS

No surprise anywhere here.  The "top threes" are all the same fics, in the same order.  The clear favorite was for a new, active fandom that I was posting in right as it was getting going, and then some heavy falloff to the next two, which were rule 63 AU fics in a fandom that is past its heyday.  For that series, the fics received attention more or less in the order they were posted, with interest falling off as subsequent fics in the series were posted.

1. Your 3 fanfics with the most comment threads in 2017:

52: Shoot to Thrill (ME:A, f!Ryder/Reyes) 12: go home, or make a home (Hobbit movies, Thorin/f!Bilbo) 11: Songs You Know by Heart (Hobbit movies, Thorin/f!Bilbo)

2: Your 3 fanfics with the most kudos in 2017:

278: Shoot to Thrill (ME:A, f!Ryder/Reyes) 185: go home, or make a home (Hobbit movies, Thorin/f!Bilbo) 141: Songs You Know by Heart (Hobbit movies, Thorin/f!Bilbo)

3: Your 3 fanfics with the most bookmarks in 2017:

75: Shoot to Thrill (ME:A, f!Ryder/Reyes) 44: go home, or make a home (Hobbit movies, Thorin/f!Bilbo) 28: Songs You Know by Heart (Hobbit movies, Thorin/f!Bilbo)

4: Your first fanfic in 2017:

Posted 04-12-2017: Shoot to Thrill (ME:A, f!Ryder/Reyes)

5: Your last fanfic in 2017:

Posted 11/01/2017: Jeepers Creepers (FO4, Deacon gen)

6: Your longest fanfic in 2017:

23,984: Consider the Thorns (Hobbit movies, Thorin/f!Bilbo)

OPINIONS

1: Favorite opening line from a fic in 2017:

Bryony Baggins was, in the general way of things, a gentlehobbit.  (from go home, or make a home)

I actually love the whole opening section, but the first line was pretty good too.  It was my attempt to ape something of Tolkien's tone as best I could, and while other stories in the series (and, for that matter, the rest of the fic) diverged back to more my own style, this bit was fun to play with.  I particularly had a blast retooling the first conversation between Bree and Gandalf; for example, Bree stealing "I am Gandalf, and Gandalf is me!" line from the book.  It also made for a great whiplash to pull from that right into the aftermath of the battle, with all of the grief and hope that entailed.

2: Favorite ending line from a fic in 2017:

“I’m right behind you, ma’am,” he says, and it feels like the first true thing he’s ever said. “You can count on me.”  (from The Hollow Man)

This was SUCH an important line for me; well before I wrote this scene, it was always in the back of my head.  It's symbolic in the sense that he's saying "you can trust me at your back" which is a big thing since the last time they saw each other, she basically handed him a gun and a motive and dared him to shoot her.  It's also his way of expressing... not just loyalty, which she knew she had when he showed up, and not just affection, which she knew she had regardless of how he chose - but fealty.  Not a soldier following a commanding officer, but a knight swearing to a queen.  Which, despite the outward trappings of their relationship, is very much what they are.

3: Your favorite character to write for in 2017:

X6-88 was my dark horse favorite for 2017.  (Pun very much NOT intended.)  He's a man of VERY strong opinions, which make him a fantastic character, even if I don't agree with said opinions (or, for that matter, all of his actions).  He's a bundle of contradictions, and my favorite contradiction is how he can be so seemingly robotic and yet so hilariously human about some things.  He has doubts, and is startlingly honest about them.  He's such a prideful dick when it comes to being a courser; no else, save perhaps the Sole Survivor themself, really measures up to his standards, and he's not shy with his disdain.  But he's also bone-loyal, and not just because he's programmed to be, and he knows how to admit when he's wrong.

Also, he curses, and listening to him curse in that monotone voice is GREAT.  A shallow finish, but there we are.

4: Your favorite pairing to write for in 2017:

I really enjoyed writing Thorin/Bree, because I loved the chance to write belligerent sexual tension that is fun and snappy and not, like, bordering on abusive behavior.  But my real favorite is actually the tangled Sole/MacCready/X6-88 triangle.  When I first started writing what would eventually be The Hollow Man, I was working on it as a character piece but didn't really know how he'd fit into the existing Sole/Mac dynamic.  I thought he'd hate Mac and respect Sole - you can see that in the opening section, before the time jump.  But just look at X6's handoff dialogues.  There's basically three companions he judges worthy of looking after the Sole Survivor: Strong, because he's big and, well, strong enough to serve as a bodyguard; Danse, because he has the "training and equipment" to serve as a bodyguard; and MACCREADY.  "I know your reputation, MacCready.  I'm confident you can handle whatever threats you encounter."

Once I realized that X6 could - and would! - respect Mac, after getting the chance to actually see him at work, the rest just fell into place.  I liked writing Sole basically bludgeoning X6 into compliance using logic and charisma, but the most important part of that scene was always that X6 fell for Mac first; he was only able to see Sole for who she really is because of seeing her in context with MacCready.  Neither of them  could have brought X6 to the point of decision he reached in that fic on their own.

5: Your proudest fic from 2017:

Definitely go home, or make a home.  This fic shouldn’t exist, y’all.  I started it back in 2014, but it basically disappeared into the void once I started my final semester in grad school.  I always used to open it up, sigh wistfully about finishing it someday, and then put it back down.  And then this year, I was thinking about turning thirty and how it was this big landmark but didn’t feel like a big landmark, and I decided to make something of it by finishing an old WIP by my birthday.  And so I pulled that one out, dusted it off, and I fucking did it.  I had to come up with an ending and then redo the entire middle to make it more compliant with the third movie, but I did it.

Also, it stands out because my normal writing style for OCs is to describe them from the outside-in: you’ll notice that all of my video game fic is from the POV of the canon LI.  Cullen and Evelyn, Deacon and Whisper, Mac and Sole… it’s easiest for me to construct a character from their actions, rather than their feelings, but this was all Bree’s point of view.  So that’s a big thing for me, something I hadn’t much done before.

6: Any goals for 2018?

I have two bigs WIPs that I really, desperately want to finish: Cry Havoc, and everybody’s pickin’ up on that feline beat.  I think I’ve only got another few chapters left on Cry Havoc, and feline beat is halfway through its last chapter, and looking at maybe…  a dozen more scenes?  Ish?  Totally doable, assuming I don’t get distracted by other stuff like I usually do.  A stretch goal would be to finish The Narrow Way, but that chapter is like… three disconnected scenes with no beginning or ending, so that’s a considerably bigger challenge.

7: Tag some people.

I don’t really do individual tags, generally speaking, but you!  Person who is reading this who wrote something in 2017!  Consider yourself tagged!

[metalmusingmoments]

I read your scenario about TFP Knockout, Smokescreen, & Optimus Prime realizing their feelings for potential human s/o. If it's ok with you, would you mind a continuation? If not, said human crush likes them back but never confessed before so they try to figure how to confess properly. The mechs accidentally heard them say to themselves " I'll just say I love you romantically, (said mech name)!". They're confident until they realizes the mechs were behind them. The mechs' reaction to this?

I’m going to post thesein different replies so be on the lookout for the other two. Optimus goes firstbecause we all love our boss bot. I’m putting a spin on this one because I can’tsee the reader being caught like that. Not in front of OP at least. Here’s thefirst part of the story so you can refresh your minds. And because it is 3amand I want to get this out there, it’s a cliffhanger. Sorry not sorry ;)

TFP Optimus

You met team prime after you noticed Raf, one of your smarteststudents was missing more and more class. You had followed him out to the curbone day after school where he waited for his ride to pick him up. You tried tomake conversation but he was becoming more and more nervous as time ticked by.The real reason you were out here was because you were hoping to snag a momentto talk to his mother or father about his increasing absences. When a yellowCamaro pulled up with tinted windows and no driver you weren’t letting Raf getin concern for his safety. Long story short Raf and “Bumblebee” managed to getyou into the car and soon conned you into being an after school teacher for himand two other students. Base life was easy enough, the bots came and went onmissions and you got along well with Ratchet and the Autobot leader Optimus.You pretty much became “Den Mother y/n”. You would make snacks and meals forthe kids and pick up anything that could possibly help the bots. You did mostof this without being asked and not expecting any thanks. But of course as youwent about your business someone was watching you from afar.

After a long Saturday sessionof tutoring the kids he decided that would be a good time to approach you. Thekids had already taken their snacks and moved on to play their video games outof ear shot. You were leaned back in a chair both arms over your face in anuncomfortable position. When he called out to you you startled awake.Apologizing, he asked if you were ready to return home for the day. He watchedas you looked back at the kids, frowned and then said you were ready to go.When you started making your way to Bumblebee, he stopped you and told you he wouldbe driving you home today. Your face morphed into one of concern as hetransformed and popped open his passenger door. As you both barreled throughthe desert he began to express his gratitude for what you had been doing forthe kids and his team. When you finished he noticed your face had grown into asmile that stopped his spark for a second. You told him not to worry about itand that you didn’t mind doing the small things. They know he works hard andthat he shouldn’t have to worry about everything. As he pulled up to your homeyou didn’t reach for the door and he didn’t move to open it. You awkwardlymentioned how nice it was outside and he took the hint. He started up hisengine and was on the move again. With no destination in mind he moved alongthe outskirts of the town. He would keep his new feelings to himself. Hewouldn’t risk this new budding relationship.

Continued…

 Months have gone by since you began your after school tutorsessions with the kids. So many months in fact that now it’s the last daybefore school is out and summer begins. You’re sitting at your desk now supposedlybeing on the lookout for anyone who may be cheating on their final exams. You can’thelp but zone out as the silence in the room gives you time to think. The otherteachers had been gushing in the faculty room about their vacationsout of this hell hole, too far away paradises with less desert. As they hadprattled on the gnawing feeling of anxiety settled into the pit of your stomachagain. With summer starting the kids wouldn’t be needing a tutor anymore, or atleast till the school year started up again. So when Kathy, a fellow teacherasked what your plans were for vacation you came up with the lame excuse of visitingyour parent’s home in “___”. The loud ringing of the last bell cut off yourthoughts as students lined up to hand in their exams. One by one the studentshanded off their papers to you at the door until none were left and you were surroundedby the droning noise of kids out in the hall.  Truth be told you were waiting for someone, anyone among “Team Prime”, to ask youabout your summer plans. Fishing to drop the sad bomb of “nothing” with a nonchalantair about yourself. Pitiful. You thought to yourself as you shuffled the papersand let out an exasperated sigh as you flopped into your chair. If you werebeing really honest with yourself, you were more miffed that Optimus hadn’t askedwhat your plans were. Though as soon as the thought entered your head youquickly pushed it out. Optimus had more important things to worry about then your sadexcuse for a summer. Like a civil war.

You and he had become closer over the past months. Ever sincehe took it upon himself to drive you home that one day it had become a happy ritualafter almost every tutoring lesson. But of course that had come after theattempts to stay at the base longer after the lessons ended. In the beginning youtwo would only discuss in a casual manner. How the kids were doing in school,how the war effort was progressing, theweather. Though as time moved on so did both of you, and the effects of thebattles Optimus fought began to show more than ever. Throwing caution to thewind you had asked him how he was feeling, as himself and not as the leader of the Autobots. He had stared at youfor a long time after you asked that. Probably weighing if it was even worth tellingyou at all, but in the end he did. So much pain and grief was unloaded thenthat your head had trouble wrapping around just how he or any being could keepthis to themselves. When he finished he had apologized, an annoying trait youhad come to realize was a habit of his. You waved him off saying it was fineand that if he ever needed to talk, you would be there for him. He had agreed tothose terms only if you would speak to him in the same manner. You knew there wasn’tmuch you could do in a sense of actually “helping” Optimus defeat the Decepticons,but if you could help him stand a little straighter, so the weight of the worldwasn’t crushing him, you’d do it in a heartbeat. You’d also found out in thisshort amount of time that Optimus had a somewhat dorkish sense of charm to him.In the rare occasion that he did make a joke you always laughed, and thatseemed to make his optics brighten slightly. Speaking of his optics, you letout a shuddering breath. He always seemed to be watching you. Just blatant staring or side eyeing you. You weren’tsure why, but you could never turn to meet his stare because you were afraidwhat he might see. You had contemplated trying to amp up the flirtatiousbehavior between you to, but chickened out at the last minute when the opportunitywould arise. A thought came to you just then. A bold thought. To just tell him how you felt. What did you have tolose? You and the kids had planned a small end of the year party tonight at thebase, you could tell him then. And if you made a fool of yourself, you couldjust hide away for the rest of the summer.

“Perfect” You said aloud as you placed the exams into yourbag. Now just to figure out how you were going to do this.

“Hey Optimus, I’d like to get to know you better” No.

“Hey BossBot! You and I should spend some more time alone moreoften” Definitely Not.

“Optimus, I like you more than just a friend”

“Who do you like more than just a friend?!” came thetelltale shout of Miko in the doorway giving you a minor heart attack in theprocess.

“What?” You gasped with your hand to your chest in startledpanic.

“You were talking about how you like someone more than afriend!” she exclaimed slamming her hands on the desk. “You gotta tell me Ms/Mr.(Y/N)! I can keep a secret!” she grinned over at you. And as much as you lovedMiko, you knew that was horse shit. Composingyourself you raised up out of your seat grabbing your bag.

“I’m not quite sure what you’re talking about Miko. You musthave misheard me.” You clipped in your “teachers” voice. Which only made Mikosquint her eyes and pout.

“Whatever” She threw her hand out as if brushing it away. “Justhurry up! Bulkhead is picking us up today, we’re gonna listen to all of my favorite songs!” she saidgrinning wickedly.

All you could do was cringe at the thought of the hour long journeyahead of you as you shut off the light and closed the door behind the both ofyou.

A dual ache had settled in your head as the night droned on.The drive had been more than excruciating. Between the loud music and the constantbickering between Miko and Jack, the whole ride had been painful. Now you satwith your head hanging and arms dangling over the railing of the upper level.The loud metal music still blaring in a far corner of the room was not helpingeither. The night had not been going as you planned.

“Are you alright (Y/N)?” The rumbling baritone voice thatalways seemed to shake you to its core asked. You gripped the railing andwhipped your head up so quick you thought you may have given yourself whiplash.

“Optimus!” you exclaimed face turning red at earlierthoughts. “No! I’m fine really, ride here was just a little more unhinged themI’m use to” you said smiling up at him.

He gave a rumbled “mmm” of his acknowledgment, followed bysilence and that unnerving stare. Then continued on with “Now that the children’seducation is finished for the year, I would assume your lessons are no longerneeded”.

Ouch, you thought and it must have registered on your facebecause Optimus was now backpedaling on his words. Hard.

“I meant no offense” He hurried on, “I only meant that youwill now have more free time to endeavor in your hobbies”.

Double Ouch. If it didn’t feel like you were being kickedout before, it did now. And now the pieces of your haphazard plan werecrumbling before you. The internal battle you were having on whether or not totrudge on or bail out were flipping back and forth in your mind. And the blueglow of his optics boring into you were not helping.

“(Y/N)” He said letting out a long vent. Just the way he said your name made the decision.

Fuck it. You saidto yourself and stared into his eyes straight on.

“Optimus, I think we-“ and was abruptly cut off by Mikosscreech of lyrics.

“SCHOOLS OUT FOR SUMMER” She sang and threw, what had to be,every piece of homework and schoolwork she had in yours and Optimus direction.

 Asit rained down over you and over the balcony you let out a long sigh and closedyour eyes trying to rein in your frustration.  In the distance you could hear the raspy yellfrom Ratchet about the mess and Miko’s gleeful laughter. It was then youdecided that this was fates way of saying this was a horrible idea.

“What was that (Y/N)? Optimus had broken eye contact toobserve all the papers flying with a straight face.

“I think I should go home” You muttered placing a hand overyour face and moving to grab your jacket. You could hear his foot fallsfollowing you as you went.

“Then I will take-“But you cut him off with a wave of yourhand as you shrugged on the jacket.

“It’s alright” you breathed as you placed your bag on yourshoulder. “I’ll ask Ratchet. God knows he needs to get out of here before heblows a fuse” you said laughing a hollow chuckle as you made your way down theladder, and with one last look you met Optimus’s optics

“See you around Optimus” you smiled a smile that you knew didn’treach your eyes. And with those last words you turned on your heal and walked briskly in the direction of Ratchet. All while those blue optics seared into yourback.